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MIT Researchers Harness Viruses To Split Water
ByronScott writes "A team of researchers at MIT has just announced that they have successfully modified a virus to split apart molecules of water, paving the way for an efficient and non-energy-intensive method of producing hydrogen fuel. 'The team, led by Angela Belcher, the Germeshausen Professor of Materials Science and Engineering and Biological Engineering, engineered a common, harmless bacterial virus called M13 so that it would attract and bind with molecules of a catalyst (the team used iridium oxide) and a biological pigment (zinc porphyrins). The viruses became wire-like devices that could very efficiently split the oxygen from water molecules. Over time, however, the virus-wires would clump together and lose their effectiveness, so the researchers added an extra step: encapsulating them in a microgel matrix, so they maintained their uniform arrangement and kept their stability and efficiency.'"
A self-catalyzing, replicating virus that converts water into hydrogen and oxygen.
Please don't spill this into the ocean.
Life, the Universe, and Everything... in my image.
If ever a story screamed for the "What Could Possibly Go Wrong" tag.
"A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it." - K
Water is now a finite resource! Hopefully they can make a virus that puts the water back together again... O.o
Very cool and scary. The tension between possible salvation of man (cheap, clean energy) and his possible destruction (something going badly wrong). Reminds me of how people felt in the 50's regarding their hopes, dreams, and fears of nuclear power.
This is unbelievable fodder for science fiction writers.
H1N1 is a joke and demonstrates common paranoia as well as anything could. My toddler had H1N1 and it was so much like the regular flu we had no idea until she was already recovered and we heard back from the lab. So yes, it is completely unjustified in the developed world to worry about diseases around every corner for a person that behaves in any normal, responsible way. Now in the developing world there is reason to worry about AIDS and Ebola. Which is why I stay the hell away, but that still says nothing about horror movie levels of mutation that just don't happen in the real world.
I support the Slashcott and will not be reading or commenting from 2/10/14 to 2/17/14. Beta is steaming pile of dog shit