These lab-made bacteria can absorb solar energy and spit out clean electricity

To meet them With the ambitious goal of net-zero emissions by 2050, the US needs to get creative with renewable energy. We can double down on tried-and-true technologies like wind, geothermal, and solar, but they’re not perfect.

For example, manufacturing solar panels has a significant carbon footprint and requires hazardous chemicals. In their search for a more sustainable source of solar energy, scientists at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) are starting small.

Well, on a more microscopic level, the researchers have tricked bacteria into producing solar power that they plan to scale up for widespread production.

What’s new – The team inserted tiny fluorescent tubes made of carbon atoms into bacteria and watched the tubes disperse as the bacteria divided.

The two species of cyanobacteria they studied Synechocystis and Nostok, get their energy through photosynthesis (like plants). Adding nanomaterials like carbon tubes can help bacteria produce significantly more electricity when illuminated with light, according to a new study published in nature nanotechnology.

Now the EPFL lab is working to use the genetically engineered bacteria to create a “living photovoltaic” that mimics the materials used in solar panels.

Living Solar Energy — Now study author Ardemis Boghossian, a chemical engineer at EPFL, wants to reduce the cost and environmental impact of inserting nanotubes into bacteria.

She notes that unlike today’s solar energy technologies, the bacteria have a negative carbon footprint: after all, they absorb carbon dioxide through photosynthesis. In the future, Boghossian hopes to be able to program bacterial DNA to produce energy autonomously — no nanoparticles required.

“You don’t need a factory to build every single bacterial cell; these bacteria are self-replicating,” Boghossian said in a press release. “They automatically take in CO2 to produce more of themselves. It’s a materials scientist’s dream.”

Read more about the study.

At the horizon …

If you see a cockroach, you might be tempted to squash it right away. That’s understandable, but you won’t want to kill this new species of bionic bugs – in fact, they could one day save your life.

An international team of engineers has created a thin, flexible, solar-powered device that turns cockroaches into cyborgs. It’s part of a decade-long effort by scientists to create robotic insects that can spot victims on rescue missions (and even spy on our conversations).

The researchers made a small “backpack” that sends electrical signals to the cerci, or the natural sensory structures at the back of the abdomen. This allows them to control the movements of the tiny creatures. It runs on solar energy, so the bugs get charged every time they wander into a ray of sunshine.

They hope to add different sensors like cameras, thermometers or carbon monoxide detectors to the cockroach and see which ones work best for different operations.

Read the full story to learn more.

Here’s what else we read…

• After 2025, Tokyo plans to make solar panels mandatory in new homes. Japan Times has the shovel.
• US Navy says all government UFO videos are classified. Their release will “damage national security,” it said Vice.
• China is planning three lunar missions after discovering a lunar mineral that could be a future energy source. Business Insider disassemble it.
• The first fully hydrogen-powered passenger train is now running in Germany. It only gives off steam and condensation, Engadget reports.
• Florida has a secret surveillance system on toll roads that tracks you and your car. Fort Myers News Press check it out