The tinydiatom algaethat invade the bottom of the oceans as part of thephytoplankton, the base of the entire marine food chain, could be the protagonists of the next great information revolution. That’s what the American biochemist Michael Sussman, director of the Center for Biotechnology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, proposes.
As published today in PNAS magazine, diatoms are the greatest experts on the planet in the manufacture of ultra-thin sheets ofsilica, a compound that shapes their shells and is chemically made up of oxygen andsilicon, the king of items in the electronics industry. “If we can imitate controlling this process, we will have a way to improve thenanofabricaciónof thesilicon chips“says Sussman, who admits that he was fascinated to learn that each of the more than 100,000 diatoms that exist has a different and unique design of its silicon shell, perfectly recognizable.
For now, the researcher and his team have already identified30 genesinvolved in the formation of silica. “Now we can focus on them and start genetically manipulating them to see what happens,” he announces.
The ability to manufacture silicon is not the only striking aspect of these microalgae. In fact, they are best known for being great allies in the fight againstglobal warming. Indeed, diatoms capture 20% of the carbon dioxide that is removed from the atmosphere naturally each year. An amount equivalent, according to experts, to that absorbed by all the tropical forests on the planet.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (www.pnas.org)
