Inspired by fictional cyborgs like Terminator, a team of
researchers at the University of Michigan and the University of Pittsburgh has
made the first bionic particles from semiconductors and proteins.
These particles recreate the heart of the process that
allows plants to turn sunlight into fuel.
"Human endeavors to transform the energy of sunlight
into biofuels using either artificial materials or whole organisms have low
efficiency," said Nicholas Kotov, the Florence B. Cejka Professor of
Engineering at the University of Michigan, who led the experiment.