Genetically-engineered viruses may power devices of the future

Rick

Rick

TS Evangelist
Riding along a fine line between modern day technology and creepy science fiction, Department of Energy researchers unveiled a device which generates energy by harnessing the electro-mechanical properties of genetically-engineered...

[newwindow="https://www.techspot.com/news/48582-genetically-engineered-viruses-may-power-devices-of-the-future.html"]Read the whole story[/newwindow]
 
G

Guest

Will they power the device by spreading or mutating? I'm confused.
 
G

Guest

What if the virus gets out? Wont we get sick. Specially if its skin mounted? I hope we dont use a very dangerous virus that would be stupid... Are there such thing as good viruses? Like there is good bacteria's?
 
G

Guest

Hand cranked dynamos are magnetic. Shoe LEDs are battery powered. Most guitar pickups are magnetic rather than piezoelectric. A better example of a piezoelectric device would be the starter on your outdoor gas grill.
 
G

Guest

Benign to humans and higher life forms? We rely on bacteria to survive, in fact there are more bacterial cells in the human body than tissue cells. I am having a sci-fi disaster film vision of this stuff creating current in my stomach flora.
 
G

Guest

What if the virus gets out? Wont we get sick. Specially if its skin mounted? I hope we dont use a very dangerous virus that would be stupid... Are there such thing as good viruses? Like there is good bacteria's?"
Click to expand...
Clearly some folks don't actually read an entire article before posting a comment. NO, the viruses are not harmful to us, only other bacteria. Yes, this is a great leap forward and I hope it will catch the eye/s of investors. Think about this, never having to charge your cell phone, laptop or mp3 player, cool huh?

There are numerous and varied technologies currently in development to enable just what I mentioned. Every little bit no matter how insignificant elevates the need for foreign energy resources
 
G

Guest

Just a thought, if it is benign to all but bacteria why cant it be used in treating bacterial infections such as the one the young women in Georigia is battling
 
G

Guest

Try reading the article. It specifys that its only harmful to bacteria.
 
G

Guest

It is staggering how the lack of understanding of simple microbiology, as well as, the end of the world obsessed hollywood hype breeds such fools. Read the article, google what you don't understand and then formulate an opinion. You people with your ridiculous fears are the reason massive scientific advances are hindered. If you want to live in the stone age move to Afghanistan or Iran. Its a wonder that women are allowed to vote without getting stoned to death in this country with all these mental midgets running around using the internet and such.
 
G

Guest

Read more in general, so that you don't insult people for basing their opinion on knowledge outside the article. As another commenter has pointed out, the human body contains even more bacteria cells than human tissue cells. Saying this virus is "only harmful to bacteria" is absolutely terrifying if you know what you're made of.
 
G

Guest

Terminology is incorrect to call this a macrophage. Otherwise, this is a good article.
 
G

Guest

M13 is not harmful to all bacteria - it is harmful only to specific strains of Escherichia coli.
 
G

Guest

GREAT! First, they use monkey serum to fight disease and voila, AIDS is born! Now, they want carte blanche to destroy the human race. Send these guys to the gulag! :cool:
 
G

Guest

Thats how it always starts. Oh its harmless and will make life easier for us. Till it spreads and causes society to crumble. Just like history has shown us. If we would have known what bringing fast spreading virus like organisms around we would have picked our own damn cotton.
 
G

Guest

Bacteriophages are viruses only capable of infecting bacteria. The differences between animal cells and bacteria are so great that animal cells cannot become infected by the virus. It's similar to how some viruses that infect humans don't infect cats, and cats and humans are pretty similar--being both animals and mammals. Bacteria and humans, on the other hand, are extremely different organisms.
It's not so much a matter of good or bad virus--they're pretty bad for the bacteria--as it is a matter of a specialized virus.
 
G

Guest

I think it's wrong to play with this type of microorganism.

what if this genetically-engineered virus powers my vibrating chair but by one fluke of nature mutates, do I get a cold shoulder? do I call a technician? do I call a virologist?
 
Y

yorro

TS Booster
Mutated viruses that could end mankind is only in the movies. Then again so is "Genetically Engineered Virus"
 
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