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One-Cell Organisms that Make Oil, Cure Cancer, Build Cities

dailygalaxy.com — We believe multi-cellular organization is where it's at, with our mesoderms and our mercedes, but there are some super-powered single cells which are far more than meets the unaided eye.

Who dugg this? Made popular Jul 6, 2008

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  • hugoguzman, on 07/06/2008, -1/+30I can honestly see cancer being cured in the next 5-20 years
  • SteaminTmann, on 07/06/2008, -1/+21Precisely why I'm not going to quit smoking!

    /jk
  • Orion1004, on 07/05/2008, -1/+14Brilliant post! Favorite observation: "having only one cell to deal with means bacteria can adapt incredibly well - and a single mutation can give rise to powers that make Professor Xavier's wheelchair-accessible mansion look like a home for people who are good at mini-golf."
  • l800LEMMINGS, on 07/06/2008, -1/+11eh the oil is meaningless its an old technology and we need to move on to bigger and better things
  • robertonuno85, on 07/06/2008, -0/+10I'm not so sure about that, really I'm not an expert at this. But...hypothetically speaking, if we do master mass producing oil using microorganisms in a way that is carbon neutral (all the carbon in the oil came from the carbon dioxide in the air that the micros took in) then isn't that a viable source of renewable clean energy? One that won't make billions and billions of dollars worth of machinery and infrastructure obsolete?

    Of course, if it isn't carbon neutral (which it probably isn't) than you're right.
  • Vosona, on 07/06/2008, -1/+11I Am Legend, anyone?
  • mentor972, on 07/06/2008, -0/+9Is that the Adobe Acrobat Icon?
  • scabbers, on 07/06/2008, -1/+8Somewhat overcooked the humour in this article, but it was interesting anyway.
  • NorthMass, on 07/05/2008, -4/+11And thanks to our mindless government regulations, we won't be able to use this technology for a long period of time.
  • Ricky81682, on 07/06/2008, -0/+4Why?
  • jn1167, on 07/06/2008, -0/+4The cancer one is interesting. I know too many who have lost that battle and its a nasty disease.
  • debuggercll, on 07/06/2008, -0/+4Healthy humans have E. Coli living in their lower intestinal tract (a part of why it's important for females to wipe going from front to back), so your advice would start things like 2girls1cup.
  • Ne007, on 07/06/2008, -0/+3oh WOW! And just to think that this is only 10 years away gives me goosebumps. And then to think that in 10 years it will STILL only be 10 years away......breathtaking!
  • IxXxIRhinoIxXxI, on 07/06/2008, -2/+51. Start Growing E.Coli Cultures...
    2.??????
    3. Profit!
  • Tenlow, on 07/06/2008, -1/+4It's "Will it blend?"

    If you're going to repeat a stupid quote you might as well get it right.
  • gn0stik, on 07/06/2008, -3/+6Right, because the Fraud and Drug Administration has all of our best interests at heart, and are not swayed at all by the drug PACs, and corporate buddies..

    He's just saying that it will likely take a lot longer than necessary and be stonewalled until the things it prevents are no longer a threat to the companies that currently make money solving the same problems.

    Once those companies buy the technology it will likely be sped to market.
  • norman619, on 07/06/2008, -5/+8It's called being safe and not charging ahead blindly. Before we use LIVING organisms on this scale we need to be sure of the pluses and minuses involved.
  • rootsm3, on 07/06/2008, -0/+2Well ***** me in the cytoplasm, that's pretty damn interesting.

    MORE SCIENCE ARTICLES ON DIGG PLEASE!!
  • Rosco, on 07/06/2008, -0/+2Gray Goo, we're all gonna die!!
  • NorthMass, on 07/06/2008, -2/+4I don't really find it funny at all to be honest, just the sad truth.
  • dominikkom, on 07/06/2008, -0/+2I couldn't even read this article as a serious science post; especially when I saw the author use mesoderm and Mercedes in the same sentence.
  • ethos101, on 07/06/2008, -1/+3I can't see cancer being cured because pharmaceutical companies would have to stop making money selling drugs to cancer patients. Efforts to fight against this research will be heavily funded.

    I can't see oil being generated by organisms because oil companies with claims staked on existing oil would have to make less money. Efforts to fight against this research will be heavily funded.

    Etc, etc... Same old story. Why do you think America is so far behind in technology when compared to Japan or some other countries? Nobody wants to risk losing money, they're afraid of change. It's too risky to change. They can't seem to get past the profits to see the big picture.
  • s4g4n, on 07/06/2008, -1/+3Digg already cured cancer, aids, solved oil crysis two times already.
  • inactive, on 07/06/2008, -3/+5Give cancer and AIDS to the top 1% and it will be cured in the next 5-20 days
  • mmilton, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1Let's do the oil one and be the number 1 oil producing country in world. We'll get everyone else's money including the chinese, indians and saudis. Then we'll be so wealthy we can invent all sorts of new technologies to clean the earth. Fix the economy first and the planet second.
  • CarStan, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1I am studying biological Mathematics, because i believe that we haven't even scratched the surface of possible benefits microorganisms can have for us. We just have to fully understand how they really work and how to control them propperly. Even though we are able to clone sheep and synthetise spider silk in a goat, it's somewhat frightening how little we really know about the inner workings of the cell.
    It's like we are trying to buid a car after only seeing it from the outside. We might imitate it 1:1, but we have no idea how it is able to drive.
  • stabbingkittens, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1Arguing on the Internet is like running in the Special Olympics. Even if you win you're still retarded.
  • Ebeach, on 07/06/2008, -1/+2Reminds me strongly of Idoru, by William Gibson. Tokyo being rebuilt using bacteria and nanities.
    Life imitates art?
    "We were uncertain how you'd feel about the New buildings... some find them disturbing... they are like Giger's paintings of New York."
  • NanoStuff, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1NCI made it a goal by 2015. More precisely, the goal is the "prevention of premature death from cancer", which means a treatment at least a near equivalent of a cure.

    Scientific progress in treating cancer is very non-linear. Once critical mass of understanding is obtained, the cure will, almost as if, pop into existence. That's historically been the case with other, simpler diseases. We've been trying to treat it since the beginning of medical science, but the next few years will undoubtedly overshadow the sum of history. I suppose this could be true for all of science.
  • norman619, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1stabbingkittens:

    I assume this was your way of telling us you are retarded?
  • norman619, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1gn0stik:

    My god your ignorance is amazing. I guess you prefer no one investigate this thing before they start using it on people. I volunteer you to be among the first to use it.
  • Needles13, on 07/06/2008, -2/+2Awesome.
  • warriorscot, on 07/06/2008, -2/+2The FDA are only one nations regulatory body, they can only hold things up so long once the rest of the world regulates something, and differences usually come down to what they actually let people use that they probably shouldn't not the other way around as you really can't be too careful.
  • greeenpro, on 07/06/2008, -2/+2Just amazing
  • rootsm3, on 07/06/2008, -1/+1Don't be bitter.
  • whitecranberry, on 07/06/2008, -1/+1Do they do laundry? Clean my toilet? Fix my car? If not, I'm not interested.
  • wootmacs, on 07/06/2008, -1/+1What Vosona said.

    I am guessing me and him are going to be the ones buying the Ak's when these things arrive.....
  • TheAdvent, on 07/07/2008, -0/+0Blah blah blah........ I'll get exited when they actually put this stuff to use. Bet you 5-10 years from now no one remembers this crap.
  • mastermemorex, on 07/06/2008, -1/+0I expect that unicells don't decide to go against us.
    - You nasty multicelular entities. Prepare for for the new unicelular power!
  • Lempicka, on 07/06/2008, -1/+0great article
  • inactive, on 07/05/2008, -2/+1My favorite part...After all, when you're suffering from a urinary tract infection the last thing you want to know is that every burning sensation is a block party for your unwelcome guests.

  • atact88, on 07/06/2008, -3/+2I love how I get dugg down and told to go back to school when I comment that this is possible. Then it gets posted as an article and everyone diggs it up.
  • inactive, on 07/06/2008, -2/+1This + the thing that eats radiation = happiness for all
  • inactive, on 07/05/2008, -6/+1Hahaha!
  • clokworkfromage, on 07/06/2008, -9/+4buried for mr babyman
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