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Home > Harnessing Evaporation through Minuscule Bacterial Spores

Harnessing Evaporation through Minuscule Bacterial Spores

Ryan Bushey, Associate Editor

Scientists at Columbia University developed a unique method for harnessing natural sources of energy.

The researchers used tiny bacterial spores to kick-start an energy transfer process that, “on a grand scale, is a hugely important factor in the planet’s climate and weather-namely, evaporation,” according to The New York Times’ Science Take series. [1]

Here’s how the process works: To control evaporation, the team manipulated the bacteria to expand and contract in a manner similar to muscles. Ultimately, they were able to string these microns together and power devices like a toy car.

You can watch the video below to learn how this project got started and what its future looks like.


Source URL (retrieved on 09/19/2015 - 2:42am): https://biosciencetechnology.com/videos/2015/07/harnessing-evaporation-through-minuscule-bacterial-spores

Links:
[1] http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/29/science/evaporation-gives-spores-energy-generating-muscle.html?