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posted by Fnord666 on Wednesday August 23 2017, @09:41AM   Printer-friendly
from the a-bit-tart dept.

Scientists have added cadmium to bacteria, causing them to accumulate cadmium sulphide crystals on their surfaces:

Scientists have created bacteria covered in tiny semiconductors that generate a potential fuel source from sunlight, carbon dioxide and water. The so-called "cyborg" bugs produce acetic acid, a chemical that can then be turned into fuel and plastic. In lab experiments, the bacteria proved much more efficient at harvesting sunlight than plants. The work was presented at the American Chemical Society meeting in Washington.

[...] These newly boosted bacteria produce acetic acid, essentially vinegar, from CO2, water and light. They have an efficiency of around 80%, which is four times the level of commercial solar panels, and more than six times the level of chlorophyll.

Also at IEEE.


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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 23 2017, @04:33PM (2 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 23 2017, @04:33PM (#558064)

    Storage batteries have a lower energy density than many fuels, and take a long time to charge. Proven time and again, no citation needed.

    Fuel cells don't burn anything.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 23 2017, @09:57PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 23 2017, @09:57PM (#558196)

    Right. They create energy from nothing. Pure fucking magic!

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 24 2017, @04:22AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 24 2017, @04:22AM (#558310)

      Wrong. They transform chemical energy directly to electrical energy.