The Spinach-Powered Laptop Is a Step Closer
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology say they have used photosynthesis by spinach to create a device that may one day power laptops, mobile phones and more. Such efforts have been unsuccessful in the past because the proteins die in the absence of water, while adding water and salt destroys the electronics.
MIT scientists reported in NanoLetters, a publication of the American Chemical Society, that protein building blocks called detergent peptides could be manipulated to keep the proteins alive up to three weeks while in contact with electronics. Practical applications are still a decade or so away.
