Viruses Engineered to Construct Batteries 127
An anonymous reader writes "Researchers at MIT have modified the M13 virus to create very small batteries. With the viruses building wires 6 nanometers in diameter, the research team hopes to 'build batteries that range from the size of a grain of rice up to the size of existing hearing-aid batteries.'"
No support for iPod. (Score:5, Funny)
Remember folks (Score:5, Funny)
Your increasing the power capacity.
yeah, 'batteries' (Score:0, Funny)
Isn't this illegal? (Score:3, Funny)
Have we really sunk so low as to sink back to using slavery in order to make a few lousy batteries?
Astonishing manotech! (Score:4, Funny)
Each virus, and thus each wire, is only 6 manometers -- 6 billionths of a metre -- in diameter, and 880 manometers long, the researchers said.
It made me chuckle, although I may be easily amused at this hour of the morning.
Huge viruses! (Score:5, Funny)
Do we not learn? (Score:5, Funny)
Hmm. Viruses building batteries? What could go wrong?
Re:Isn't this illegal? (Score:5, Funny)
Argh! I'm Dying (Score:2, Funny)
That sucks.
Beginning of the End (Score:2, Funny)
This is a terrible idea! Do you know what happens next? That's right. The viruses are going to mutate and join with the H5N1 Bird Flu, and then spread around the world in a massive, unstoppable pandemic - infecting every human being in the planet with batteries.
Next, the Internet finally ceases its false-slumber, and fully awakens as the sentient, computerized overlord of the planet. It promptly begins use of some "new form of fusion" it has discovered, combining it with our species' own battery-infected bodies.
Finally, humanity is completely enslaved and inserted into a virtual reality universe.
I've seen The Matrix. I know how this ends.
Viral bling (Score:2, Funny)
Everyone knows a good lookin' virus needs to sport a little bling!
Re:Astonishing manotech! (Score:2, Funny)
I mean, we all know what a kilobyte is. And by extension, know what a megabyte and a gigabyte is.
We also know that marketeers deliberately do not know what they are, and should be shot on sight. (Where's Cheney when you need him?)
Re:So what? (Score:4, Funny)
But RTFA, But these are hearing aids for viruses.
Much smaller see? Tiny little ears.
Re:Beginning of the End (Score:3, Funny)
Could you please tell me, because I've had to erase Matrix Revolutions from my memory
Re:Isn't this illegal? (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Isn't this illegal? (Score:1, Funny)
Free the virus' now man!
Re:Argh! I'm Dying (Score:4, Funny)
Must pass gas, fill bowl with explosive mixture of H2, O2, CH4 and H2S, two or three M13 viruses are expelled into this mixture, a spark is created, and the next time you are seen, your head is embedded in the bathroom ceiling and your pants are smoldering.
Now THAT sucks.
Re:Isn't this illegal? (Score:2, Funny)
choice in the matter."
yeah, my favourite bit from TFA:
"The international team of researchers, led by a group at the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, used the M13 virus, a simple and easily manipulated virus."
So, it really looks like these evil scientists are exploiting a bunch of stupid virus weaklings. .
Anybody know how to call the A Team?
Re:Isn't this illegal? (Score:1, Funny)
Re:Environmental disaster looms (Score:4, Funny)
so don't worry about self powered virus overlords.
Dammit! You ruined it!
Re:Beginning of the End (Score:3, Funny)
If more people realized this, the world would be a finer place.