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Solar Cells Made From Bioluminescent Jellyfish

Posted by samzenpus on from the cnidaria-power dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Swedish researchers have devised a way to turn bioluminescent jellyfish into solar cells. It works like this: the green fluorescent protein (GFP) that makes the Aequorea victoria glow is simply dripped onto a silicon dioxide substrate between two electrodes. The protein works itself into strands between the electrodes. When ultraviolet light is shined on the circuit, voila, the GFP absorbs photons and emits electrons, generating a current. The GFP-powered cells work like dye-sensitized solar cells, but don't require expensive materials such as titanium dioxide."

5 of 82 comments (clear)

  1. Could be worse by MichaelSmith · · Score: 3, Funny

    Jellyfish could be using Human Beings to generate power.

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    http://michaelsmith.id.au
  2. The Fools! by CompSci101 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Haven't they played any of the Metroid games? We're all doomed!

    C

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    The Sun is proof that we can't even do fire properly.
  3. Please advise by Itninja · · Score: 3, Funny

    I have not yet received my opinion assignment document from those we don't speak of, so I am not really sure what I am supposed to think about this. On one tentacle, anything helping to make photovoltaic material affordable is very good. But the other tentacle, harvesting (and likely destroying) scores of jellyfish to do so seems, well, creepy. I think I will need to wait until cable news tells me what to think.

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    I judt got a nre Kinesis keybiartf so please excusr ant egregiou typos.
  4. Wrong Section! by Acetylane_Rain · · Score: 2, Funny

    Hey, editor! This is in the wrong section.

    Jellyfish, strictly speaking, are software. (Unless you reinforce them with an exoskeleton.)

  5. To Paraphrase Kermit the Frog... by florescent_beige · · Score: 3, Funny

    It's not easy being bioluminescent.

    Like it wasn't bad enough these poor creatures spend their entire existence as lowly bags of goo. Now they have to spend half their time fleeing from horrific vertebrates that want to squeeze the life-goo right out of them for no discernible reason. Well, not actually fleeing. Trying to flee. Have you ever seen a jellyfish flee? It's sad. Pathetic really. Very slow. You can't even call it fleeing. It's more like moseying. "The jellyfish are moseying for their lives!" See what I mean? Poor things.

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    Equine Mammals Are Considerably Smaller