December 11, 2007
1 min read
Add Us On GoogleAdd SciAmBacteria Weave Nanotube Web
Humans aren't the only living things that can make nanotubes, the exquisitely fine rods prized for their strength and electrical conductivity.
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Humans aren't the only living things that can make nanotubes, the exquisitely fine rods prized for their strength and electrical conductivity. The bacterium Shewanella has the totally adorable ability to spin nanotubes out of arsenic and selenium, apparently using bristly sugar molecules as a template, according to a report in a recent issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA. Researchers said that the microbes might be coaxed to extrude higher performance tubes from better semiconductor materials, perhaps offering a more environmentally friendly source of the molecules.
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