Harvest the Sun

Dez 8, 2010   //   by Editor   //   Science  //  No Comments

Origin information
Published Dec 6, 2010 | Author Matt Walker
Link to article » bbc.co.uk
Made aware of by Twitter user » @AskNatureTweets

QUOTE:
Xanthopterin (a pigment) works as a light harvesting molecule transforming light into electrical energy. [...] “We assume that some of the energy is transformed in a photo-biochemical process which aids the hornets with their energy demanding digging activity,” Dr Plotkin told the BBC.

DESCRIPTION
Seems like not only plants are able to process solar energy:
This article desribes the surprising ability of Oriental hornets to harvest the sun with the help of structure, pigments, photo-biochemical processes and even store the energy metabolically.

FULL ARTICLE
Link to article » bbc.co.uk | Download of scientific article » springerlink.com

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Biognosis is a rare synonym for biomimicry, biomimetics, bionics, Bionik (German), bionique (French) and other expressions which describe the process of learning more about how nature copes successfully with diverse challenges and apply these findings to human technology, products, services and processes.

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