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Solar-powered sea slug harnesses stolen plant genes

newscientist.com — It's the ultimate form of solar power: eat a plant, become photosynthetic. Now researchers have found how one animal does just that.

Who dugg this? Made popular Nov 25, 2008

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  • mikbunn, on 11/24/2008, -2/+21And it doubles as a glow-in-the-dark vagina.
  • inactive, on 11/24/2008, -0/+15"It is unlikely humans could become photosynthetic in this way." My dream is now shattered.
  • tchynerd, on 11/25/2008, -1/+11After bioshock I am afriad of sea slugs
  • nathos, on 11/25/2008, -0/+8Don't forget to harvest the ADAM! Better living though plasmids!
  • TheNakedChef, on 11/25/2008, -0/+4The dream of being energised by a glow of a monitor?
  • beatski, on 11/25/2008, -0/+4to nerd it up even more than the guy above me, the chloroplasts in all plants were originally seperate organisms. billions of years ago, plants harnessed the then single celled organisms chloroplasts for photosynthesis. all animals also did the same with mitochondria.
  • VacantThoughts, on 11/25/2008, -0/+4Unrelated but none the less very true
  • frelk, on 11/25/2008, -3/+6So, the sooner they cancel Chocolate News the better.
  • everybodyruns, on 11/25/2008, -1/+3Please let this evolve into Bulbasaur. Rare candy that bitch!
  • Escamotage, on 11/25/2008, -0/+2It's the Superman Of The Sea

    ...in a can.
  • siwasher, on 11/25/2008, -0/+2Not that anybody cares, but corals and tropical and west coast temperate sea anemones keep pet algae called zooxanthellae inside their translucent tendrils, also to get energy from photosynthesis. In this case, it's a symbiotic relationship; the algae stay alive and get protection from predators (sea slugs?) If you look at common pacific anemones, their tendrils appear green, but if you see some in a cave, the tendrils are white; no sun, so no photosynthesis. Some corals get 90% of their energy this way, not that a coral needs much, I guess. Maybe there's hope for humans injecting algae subcutaneously.
  • Syric, on 11/25/2008, -0/+2So it's like...Sylar meets Bulbasaur?
  • Scrooged, on 11/25/2008, -0/+2I've got to start reading the entire title before clicking. I was looking for "sea slug harnesses".
  • inactive, on 11/25/2008, -0/+2And thus, we are one step closer to Bioshock and one step back from Fallout
  • KaiUno, on 11/25/2008, -0/+2Was it pink with huge suction before it turned photosynthetic?
  • snafflepaffle, on 11/25/2008, -0/+2That's not surprising.

    Sea slugs do some interesting things. Some eat anemone stinging cells, they migrate through the sea slug's body and become defensive weapons for the slug.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nudibranch
  • DiggOrNotToDigg, on 11/25/2008, -0/+1The slug is GREEN
  • vsaint, on 11/25/2008, -0/+1Very good...
  • Remelox, on 11/25/2008, -0/+1Video of gene theft or it never happened. Even on CSI: there is always a convenient security camera or ATM to get footage from. This video only shows the plant theft.
  • everybodyruns, on 11/25/2008, -0/+1Don't try photosynthesis yourself! I saw a play about this once, and you will definitely turn into a tree.
  • euming, on 11/25/2008, -0/+1Wow. It's like the Sylar of sea slugs. It IS what it eats. If it eats stinging creatures, it gets the stinging cells. If it eats photosynthesis cells, it gets that power.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nudibranch

  • BossKey, on 11/25/2008, -0/+1Dugg for the title alone.
  • tallguyg, on 11/25/2008, -0/+1Eat the algae, would you kindly...
  • hitdrumhard, on 11/25/2008, -0/+1mmmmm, sunlight.
  • FurryToaster, on 11/25/2008, -0/+1In a related story, Rosie O'Donnell has a new show coming out
  • daeken, on 11/25/2008, -0/+1I don't buy it. Everyone knows that eating the plant power-up lets you shoot fireballs.
  • reaperhatch, on 11/25/2008, -0/+1Kirby powers awesome!
  • inactive, on 11/25/2008, -0/+1I wish I could photosynthesize

    Water self
    Apply Nutrients
    Kill cows for daring to compete...
  • AtraNoxVII, on 11/25/2008, -3/+3I am Andrew Ryan, and I'm here to ask you a question: Is a man not entitled to the sweat of his brow? No, says the man in Washington. It belongs to the poor. No, says the man in the Vatican. It belongs to God. No, says the man in Moscow. It belongs to everyone. I rejected those answers. Instead, I chose something different. I chose the impossible. I chose----- Rapture.

    And we are one step closer to the telekinetic plasmid. Just letting you know ahead of time, I'm totally harvesting the little sisters we put these slugs into.
  • chriswastaken, on 10/27/2009, -1/+1i for one welcome our half plant/ half animal overlords.
  • Remelox, on 11/25/2008, -1/+1Sylar doesn't eat his victims. He just pokes around in their brain and sees how the power works.
  • iLLdude, on 11/25/2008, -0/+0sounds promising for bio fuels research...
  • bloggerjul, on 11/25/2008, -2/+1NSFW
  • PIPBoy2000, on 11/25/2008, -5/+2digg me up

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