The words bacteria, viruses, bacteriophage makes you probably think about diseases but we also forget the beneficial effects of these microscopic organisms; like yoghurt, penicillin and Botox. Well, in years to come we are probably going to add Computers to the growing list of the benefits of bacteria.
The University of Leeds and Tokyo university are neck deep in research for alternative uses of bacteria in Technology. And so far they have been successful, a certain type of bacteria when they ingest iron become magnetic themselves thus mimicking components similar to those in PC hard drives.
This has been suggested if implemented to make hard drives faster. The rate at which technology has evolved from the giant sized mainframe computers to the compact and lightweight tablets and mini computers is amazing with the rapidity being greater in the 20th century.
But as our devices become smaller so do the components that make them up, there is an increasing need for smaller and better components. These researchers have also created tiny electrical wires from living organisms. The wires have electrical resistance and can transfer information from a set of cells to the other creating a bio-computer.
Apart from usage in computers, there is talk about these wires being used for human surgery because of their bio-compatibility.I wish them all the best, the time when we will wear our computers like skin tight suits similar to the ones in the movie Tron is closer than we think.