From dyanega@denr1.igis.uiuc.edu Wed Jun 21 23:19:26 EDT 1995
Article: 14 of sci.bio.misc
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From: dyanega@denr1.igis.uiuc.edu (Doug Yanega)
Newsgroups: sci.bio,sci.bio.misc
Subject: Re: Living Metal.
Date: 19 Jun 1995 01:40:39 GMT
Organization: Illinois Natural History Survey
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In article <3rvd8c$hdh@carbon.cudenver.edu>,
jbazemor@lnxland1.denver.colorado.edu (Bazemore Jonathan R) wrote:

> Can biochemical processes be used to construct
> and manipulate metallic substances?
> 
> (i.e., planting a seed, and growing a car?)

Numerous organisms, from bacteria to plants to animals, are capable of
creating and using proteins that bind metal ions - things like chlorophyll
and hemoglobin. There are even pathways by which many of these same
organisms create magnetic iron crystals inside their tissues. There are
magnetotactic bacteria, honeybees have iron crystals in special organs to
aid in orientation, as do at least some birds, and - if I recall correctly
- even human beings have certain tissues in which magnetic iron crystals
are formed. Whether this could ever be exploited for anything larger and
more complex is highly questionable, and I'd say your example is pushing
the limits a bit too far. Ask yourself this...could we "program" a set of
genes to make *bones* in a shape of our own design?? If you think *that*
is a long way from being practical, now just make the task an order of
magnitude more difficult. Fairly unlikely, I'd think.
Cheers,
-- 
Doug Yanega
Illinois Natural History Survey, Center for Biodiversity
607 E. Peabody Dr. Champaign, IL 61820  USA
"There are some enterprises in which a careful disorderliness is
    the true method" - Herman Melville, Moby Dick



