05 January 2015

An "artificial leaf"


A graduate student working with the Tufts University silk lab has created an "artificial leaf" by extracting chloroplasts from plants and suspending them in a matrix of silk protein.  When provided with water and exposed to light, the leaves will produce oxygen.

Via Fresh Photons.

3 comments:

  1. Interesting, but why not just grow plants?

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    Replies
    1. The inventor's page has some answers
      http://www.julianmelchiorri.com/SELECTED-WORKS/Silk-Leaf

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  2. Truly, downright amazing- feels like we just took a step into the future!

    PS- And we finally have something to replace trees- which as everyone knows, cause more pollution than cars...

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