Self-Destructing Bacteria Create Better Biofuels 139
MikeChino writes "Researchers at Arizona State University have genetically engineered cyanobacteria to dissolve from the inside out, making it easy to access the high-energy fats and biofuel byproducts located within. To do this they combined the bacteria's genes with genes from the bacteriaphage — a so-called 'mortal enemy' of bacteria that cause it to explode. Cyanobacteria have a higher yield potential than most biofuels currently being used, and this new strain eliminates the need for costly and energy intensive processing steps."
Death to the pond scum! (Score:2, Funny)
Duh (Score:2, Funny)
Imagine getting ill with these things... (Score:2, Funny)
Just imagine getting infected with bacteria of this kind:
"Good morning, Mr. Phelps. Your illness, should you decide to accept it, will be a nasty flu bug. This bacteria will self-destruct in ten seconds."
What's the worse that can happen? (Score:3, Funny)
Have we ever had exploding bacteria before?
Re:Biofuels are the future. (Score:3, Funny)
Plants are the most efficient at collecting solar energy.
I would expect in the future some kind of battery cells which directly interface with a massive array of plant-emulating light absorbing complexes which produce a voltage from sunlight.
Though in the Wikipedia I see (see 'photosynthesis') that this process converts light into energy with an efficiency of 3-6%, while solar panels have 6-20%, I believe that it might reach a point where mass production of hybrid organo-metallic devices can be achieved
At the end we will have plants at home which instead of producing sugars, will have an electric plug. They part in the plant where electricity is produced will be called iPod.
Re:What's the worse that can happen? (Score:3, Funny)
A huge 500-acre vat of this stuff will explode all at once, causing a rift in the time-space continuum that allows Species 8472 to emerge and exact retribution for bursting their cozy bubble.
Re:What's the worse that can happen? (Score:4, Funny)
Have we ever had exploding bacteria before?
Yes, but they don't make a loud bang so most people didn't notice.
Re:Biofuels are the future. (Score:2, Funny)
Plants are the most efficient at collecting solar energy.
I'm not sure that's the case, but what plants are, is cheap.
-jcr
Never sent roses, have you?
No wonder you never get laid.
Human variant (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Death to the pond scum! (Score:1, Funny)
The bacteria has been observed to scream, before detonating, "allahu akbar!".