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Highly-Conductive Shark Jelly Could Inspire New Tech (gizmag.com)
An anonymous reader writes: Researchers from UC Santa Cruz, the University of Washington, and the Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason found shark jelly to have the highest proton conductivity ever seen in a biological material. The jelly's conductivity begins to approach that of leading proton-conducting polymers. Tiny organs in the skin of sharks, skates and rays, called the ampullae of Lorenzini, are key to the ability. Scientists believe that the jelly is what has been able to allow these animals to detect weak electric fields produced by their prey, as the organs, which are visible as pores in the skin, are connected to electrosensory cells via long, jelly-filled canals. Marco Rolandi, a co-author on a paper detailing the findings in Science Advances, sees potential use for the "shark jelly" in the development of new or enhanced materials or even the creation of new sensor technology. "The observation of high proton conductivity in the jelly is very exciting," Rolandi said. "We hope that our findings may contribute to future studies of the electrosensing function of the ampullae of Lorenzini and the organ overall, which is itself rather exceptional."
Why would anyone kill endangered sharks for their jelly? That's sickening. And besides, why is shark jelly necessary? There are plenty of other highly conductive substances that already exist. This isn't useful. It doesn't solve any problem. It's a waste of time and money. Can anyone give me a single practical use of this? The answer is surely no. But I'll be modded down to -1 for pointing this out. It's easier to hide the truth than it is to address it. I don't expect a single legitimate response, but I expect ad hominem attacks and to be censored at -1.