Scientists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst report that they have genetically designed a new strain of bacteria that spins out extremely thin and highly conductive wires made up of solely of non-toxic, natural amino acids. These biowires, which rival the thinnest wires known to man, are produced from renewable, inexpensive feedstocks and avoid the harsh chemical processes typically used to produce nanoelectronic materials. The ability to mass-produce such thin conductive wires with this sustainable technology has many potential applications in electronic devices, functioning not only as wires, but also transistors and capacitors. Proposed applications include biocompatible sensors, computing devices, and as components of solar panels. http://phys.org/news/2016-07-green-electronic-materials-synthetic-biology.html
I wonder how they or the bug got rid of the amino acid part . I understand the aromatic part would have electrons available for circulation , provided aromatic part is put back to back, that would have electron moving along the wire. But is very interesting.
