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One Variety of Sea Slugs Cuts Out the Energy Middleman

Posted by timothy on from the would-never-leave-the-house dept.

dragonturtle69 writes with this story, short on details but interesting: "These sea slugs, Elysia chlorotica, have evolved the ability to gain energy via photosynthesis. Forget about genetic modifications for sports enhancements. I want to be able to never need to eat again — or do I?"

3 of 232 comments (clear)

  1. I want the reverse. by jeffb+(2.718) · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I want to be able to consume as many extra calories as I like, and then radiate the excess as visible light, with radiant area, spectrum and direction under my conscious control.

    Or, at least, I'd like to be able to metabolize my food and store excess energy as electric charge, easily transferred to whatever devices are handy.

  2. Photosynthesize! by The+Yuckinator · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Once you've "eaten enough algae to steal the necessary chloroplasts", you'll be good to go!

    I would happily endure eating algae for X days/weeks/months in order to get photosynthesis going in my body. I realize that I'd have to start going outside, but it sounds like a fair trade off to me.

  3. Sea Slugs and nematocysts by Guppy · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Some species of Sea Slugs have another similar interesting ability -- to adsorb and host nematocysts (stinging cells) from jellyfish and hydrozoans they've eaten, and use them for their own defense. The mechanism is substantially different (foreign cells are sequestered in specialized sacs, compared to the intracellular hosting of an organelle) though.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glaucus_atlanticus