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Fly Eyes Used For Solar Cells

Posted by samzenpus on from the windows-to-the-power-pole dept.

disco_tracy writes "Researchers took corneas from blow flies, fixed them on a glass substrate, added a polymer to protect the shape and then coated nine-eye arrays in nickel within a vacuum chamber. The result was a master template that retained those useful nanoscale features and can be used to make solar cells."

19 of 73 comments (clear)

  1. i for one by Kral_Blbec · · Score: 2, Funny

    welcome our electric fly overlords

  2. man...peta's gonna have a heart-attack by MoFoQ · · Score: 4, Funny

    man....peta's gonna have a heart-attack....perhaps even an aneurysm too.
    On one hand, they want to support alternative energy....but for them to know that flies were harmed...

    1. Re:man...peta's gonna have a heart-attack by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I believe you meant to refer to PETI?

    2. Re:man...peta's gonna have a heart-attack by Lord_of_the_nerf · · Score: 3, Funny

      Somehow I don't think the slogan would be as catchy as the fur one.

      "I'd rather go without power than use solar cells made from blow fly corneas on a glass substrate.

    3. Re:man...peta's gonna have a heart-attack by Kozz · · Score: 4, Funny

      man....peta's gonna have a heart-attack....perhaps even an aneurysm too.
      On one hand, they want to support alternative energy....but for them to know that flies were harmed...

      I, for one, think we should act now so we're prepared to harness the energy of their spasms and convulsions.

      --
      I only post comments when someone on the internet is wrong.
    4. Re:man...peta's gonna have a heart-attack by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Their leadership might; but the vast majority of their membership won't be painting themselves red or stripping in public(pity...) about it.

      Blowflies are very much out of the "nature red in tooth and claw" school, only nastier. They need substantial amounts of protein to successfully lay their eggs and develop their horrid maggots. The nicest ones deal with this by hunting down and infesting carrion. The less pleasant ones don't like to wait. In tropical areas, this so-called "fly-strike"(infestation of wounds/sores/damp areas by live maggots feeding on host tissue) is a nontrivial health threat to both humans and animals. I leave the google-images-ing of "flystrike" "Myiasis" and "screwworm" to the reader; but it isn't pretty.

      PETA's leadership are genuinely odd ducks; but their rank and file are mostly tactless idealists who are all warm and fuzzy about animals(you'll notice, for instance, that the idea that pets=slavery doesn't feature strongly in fundraising/membership drive literature). Even if they aren't idealistic/fuzzy enough to care about poor children in dusty countries who have maggots in their eye sockets, the fact that these insects will infest, and kill slowly and painfully, all sorts of cute fuzzy animals should do the trick...

    5. Re:man...peta's gonna have a heart-attack by Fred+Foobar · · Score: 2, Informative

      Last time I checked, insects were in the animal kingdom, so PETA should still have "jurisdiction" over them.

      --
      It was a really good paper.
  3. That's cool and all but by Culture20 · · Score: 4, Funny

    How hard is it to remove a fly's cornea, and can the process be automated from a cloud of flies?

    1. Re:That's cool and all but by raving+griff · · Score: 4, Informative

      The process merely creates a template which is then used to create the cells. Therefore, only enough fly eyes to create the template (theoretically one) are required to build an entire line of solar cells.

  4. In need? by Delarth799 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Are they in need of more fly eyes? Perhaps my extensive collection might now be worth some money!

  5. Help meeeeee... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Help meeeeeeeeee!!!!

  6. Slippery slope by The_mad_linguist · · Score: 2, Funny

    I know how this one goes. First you start taking the eyes out of blowflies for 'solar energy research', but before you know it it's all gone downhill and you're pulling the wings off butterflies to make your product the right shade of red.

  7. So those nasty things might be useful? by scottbomb · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I've often wondered why God made such a worthless, pesky creature. To give us solar power?! I gotta admit, this is very interesting.

    1. Re:So those nasty things might be useful? by justinlee37 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I've often wondered why we think that every creature was made by a supreme being with a specific purpose in mind.

  8. Re: automated fly cornea removal? by macraig · · Score: 2, Informative

    How hard is it to remove a fly's cornea, and can the process be automated from a cloud of flies?

    Not hard, and yes: winged micro-sharks with lasers. Genentech is working on them right now.

  9. Re:So, its the shape ... by FooAtWFU · · Score: 3, Informative

    What part of "The result was a master template" makes you think that they need a continual supply of eyes?

    --
    The World Wide Web is dying. Soon, we shall have only the Internet.
  10. Re:So, its the shape ... by codepunk · · Score: 2, Funny

    Paying grad students to glue fly eyeballs to a sheet doesn't seem to be the most efficient process.

    Why not, what else are they good for?

    --


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  11. Flies are noisy... by Samah · · Score: 2, Funny

    Substrate? Nanoscale?
    Stop using buzzwords...
    *cough*

    --
    Homonyms are fun!
    You're driving your car, but they're riding their bikes there.
  12. Pets == Slaves? by SmallFurryCreature · · Score: 4, Funny

    But that sir is without question. Pets == Slaves.

    Now if you excuse me, I have to clean my cats litter box, buy food for it, entertain it, and sit still for about 8 hours as it sleeps on my lap unless I wish to talk in a high voice.

    FREE HUMANS! Oh shit, it heard HELP M[CARRIER LOST]

    --

    MMO Quests are like orgasms:

    You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.