Mar 7, 2015 07:36 PM
http://awesci.com/bacteria-powered-machines/
EXCERPT: Human civilization has been supported and propelled by hulking, powerful beasts of burden like oxen, draft horses, even water buffalo and elephants. Here’s a new one, the world’s smallest: a 5-micron-long bacterium called Bacillus subtilis. Scientists at Argonne National Laboratory have coaxed hundreds of these one-celled beasts to turn tiny gears 1 million times heavier than themselves in an experiment researchers hope is a step toward creating new materials and devices that mix tiny chemical cocktails and better harvest and store energy. “Biological systems are extremely efficient,” says Igor Aronson, a physicist at Argonne National Laboratory. “We can learn from biology and we can use it.”...
http://www.forbes.com/2009/12/19/physics...teria.html
EXCERPT: Human civilization has been supported and propelled by hulking, powerful beasts of burden like oxen, draft horses, even water buffalo and elephants. Here’s a new one, the world’s smallest: a 5-micron-long bacterium called Bacillus subtilis. Scientists at Argonne National Laboratory have coaxed hundreds of these one-celled beasts to turn tiny gears 1 million times heavier than themselves in an experiment researchers hope is a step toward creating new materials and devices that mix tiny chemical cocktails and better harvest and store energy. “Biological systems are extremely efficient,” says Igor Aronson, a physicist at Argonne National Laboratory. “We can learn from biology and we can use it.”...
http://www.forbes.com/2009/12/19/physics...teria.html