Will Zombie virus Prevent people from death in the future. Biologists Create ‘Zombie Cells’ In The Lab Which Outperform Living Counterparts
Biological researchers have created dead ‘zombie’ cells in the lab which outperform living cells. Seriously. The technique means scientists can preserve valuable biological material by ‘converting it into a fossil.’ The process was developed by researchers from Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque and the University of New Mexico. Scientists used silicic acid to ‘embalm’ the mammalian cells and create a near-perfect replica of its structure.
They believe the zombie cells could be used in commercial manufacturing, including fuel cells or sensor technology and may be the future of nanotechnology.
‘It’s very challenging for researchers to build structures at a nanometer scale. We can make particles and wires, but 3-D arbitrary structures haven’t been achieved yet,’ lead researcher Bryan Kaehr was quoted as saying in The Huffington Post.
He added: ‘With this technique, we don’t need to build those structures – nature does it for us.’
The process was developed by researchers from Sandia National Laboratories and University of New Mexico
A team at Sandia National Laboratories and the University of New Mexico have innovated a technique whereby mammalian cells are coated with silica to form a near-perfect replicas. The silica replicants can survive greater pressures and temperatures than flesh, and perform many functions better than the original cells did when alive.
The cells are coated in silicic acid and it ‘embalms’ the living cell and can survive greater temperatures than flesh
By painting the cells with silicic acid in a petri dish, the acid embalms the organic matter in the cell down to the nanometer level. The silica then acts as a permeable armour, according to Michael Hess at the American Office of Public Affairs. That means the cell beneath can be used as a catalyst at far greater temperatures than normal. Heating the silica to around 400C evaporates the protein in the cell, but leaves the silica as a three-dimensional replica of the “formerly living being”, Hess said.
“The difference is that instead of modeling the face, say, of a famous criminal, the hardened silica-based cells display internal mineralized structures with intricate features ranging from nano- to millimeter-length scales.”
The valuable biological material can thus be converted into a reusable fossil, which could have uses in fuel cells, decontamination and sensor technology, as well as commercial manufacturing. Lead researcher Bryan Kaehr said in a statement that the research distinguishes between a mummy cell and a zombie cell. “Our zombie cells bridge chemistry and biology to create forms that not only near-perfectly resemble their past selves, but can do future work,” he said, terrifyingly.
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