A Cell Phone Made of ...Tapioca?

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The selling point, says Cereplast CEO Frederic Scheer, is that manufacturers "want to be protected from volatility in oil prices. Starches are a lot less volatile in price."

Borrowing from biology can also bestow new possibilities for engineering electronics. "We can go to thinner structures and create materials where we can control their elasticity," says Tapani Ryhanen, who heads the Nokia-Cambridge lab at the university. "It's one additional degree of freedom" in electronics design.

Just take a look at the battery that Massachusetts Institute of Technology researcher Angela Belcher is building with viruses that are nontoxic to humans. These viruses help molecules of gold and other chemicals bind together, catalyzing energy-producing reactions more efficiently than today's batteries. That means a virus-based battery could be 75% smaller. "Biology is very efficient at packaging things," Belcher explains. Her latest prototype is only three microns in size, or 25 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair, yet it could generate enough energy to power a small light or a hearing aid. A virus-based battery would also offer another compelling trait: It would be up to 80% biodegradable, Belcher says. Today's typical battery is loaded with toxic substances such as lithium and lead that can seep into water and soil.

Building a Better Light Bulb With DNA

Belcher isn't the only one tinkering with microorganisms. IBM researchers are using bacterial DNA to create superdense memory chips that would allow cell phones to store a terabyte of data, or about 1,000 digital copies of Encyclopedia Britannica. By contrast, Apple's (AAPL) most capacious iPhone offers just 16 gigabytes of memory. The IBM scientists are essentially shaping the DNA strands into a scaffolding for memory. The structures attract tiny wires that assemble into memory circuits. After the self-assembly is complete, the DNA is dissolved or removed by heating.

Researchers are also trying to exploit DNA to make a better light bulb. Andrew Steckl, director of NanoLab at the University of Cincinnati, has used the genetic material from salmon sperm to make light-emitting diodes (LEDs) that last three to five times longer. Today's LEDs, used to illuminate everything from Christmas tree lights to glowing wallpaper and watch displays, rely on molecules called luminophores that naturally generate light. Problem is, these luminophores collide and knock each other out of commission, reducing the life of the bulb and the amount of light being produced. Steckl has found a way to insulate luminophore molecules from one another using spirals of the DNA. "You get high brightness and high [energy] efficiency," he says.

Of course, whether and when many of these creature-based technologies will arrive on the market is unclear. Yet, as researchers delve deeper into nature's toolbox, it stands to reason that at least some will crawl to commercial life. "A year ago, I didn't think we'd be able to make these [virus battery] materials for larger electronics," says Belcher. "But now, I think we might be able to even make batteries for cars."

For more, click through the accompanying slide show.

Kharif is a senior writer for BusinessWeek.com in Portland, Ore.