Gemma Reguera tagged posts

Newly Discovered Organic Nanowires leave Humanmade Technologies in their Dust

MD simulations of WT and Y27A pili.

MD simulations of WT and Y27A pili. (A,B) Snapshots of the geometry-optimized WT (A) and Y27A (B) pilus model (black, Y27; orange, other aromatic residues) and detail of aromatic clusters with inter-aromatic distances. (C,D) 3D-projection of aromatic density (C), aromatic contacts (D), and electrostatic surface map (E) of WT and Y27A pili.

A microbial protein fiber discovered by a Michigan State University scientist transports charges at rates high enough to be applied in humanmade nanotechnologies. The discovery describes the high-speed protein fiber produced by uranium-reducing Geobacter bacteria. The fibers are hair-like protein filaments called “pili” that have the unique property of transporting charges at speeds of 1 billion electrons per second.

“This microbial nanowire is made of ...

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