Woah. According to SolarAccess.com, scientists in Japan have combined a bacteria with photovoltaics. Somehow. The report is brief, and doesn't have a link to a science journal, so take it as a "maybe" for now. But if it works...

Combining a living organism and a silicon chip, the new photosensor can convert light into electricity. Use of the photoelectric converting section of a blue-green bacterium, which can achieve "near perfect quantum yields in photoelectric conversion", enabling photoelectric conversion that produces a very low level of heat.

(Via Futurismic)

If the information shows up anywhere, it'll likely be at http://www.aist.go.jp/aist_e/latest_research/latest_research.html

AIST is the group that was responsible for this... but the link I just posted has some other interesting things like how they've managed to make nano-bubbles stable so they can store ozone longterm in water, allowing Marine and Fresh-water fishes saturated with the bubbles.

Water-Solubilization of Waste paper by using hot compressed water is quite interesting in itself.

Posted by: Lockle on March 25, 2004 7:45 PM

Very cool. Thanks for the link!

Posted by: Jamais Cascio on March 26, 2004 2:43 PM

The English-language press release that started this discussion is probably to be seen at: http://www.japancorp.net/Article.Asp?Art_ID=6890

Posted by: Randolph Fritz on March 27, 2004 5:33 PM