Can Biological Systems Mimic Semiconductor Functions?

[GNRtau]

Right, so I'm a freshman in college right now, so if I'm wrong, I'm wrong.

Would it be possible to get a biological system to imitate or act like a semiconductor or nanoelectronic device or is that a fantasy? Does anyone here have experience doing it? Or perhaps use nanoelectronics to solve biological problems by integrating them with the human body on a cellular level?

Who knows, I might end up doing my Phd thesis on this!(just a joke...)

 

[sru2]

Before semiconductors can be made the first step is to reproduce the transistor. The below links should help:

http://www.kurzweilai.net/bacteria-produced-nanowires-can-act-like-a-biological-transistor

http://blogs.ucdavis.edu/egghead/2009/08/21/biological-transistor-created/

 

[dlgoff]

There are organic light-emitting diodes.

 

[Bob S]

Biological systems can imitate passive analog audio circuits (or vice versa). In the case of insect binaural directional hearing, both the cricket and certain flies have internal structures to convert a binaural amplitude disparity to a constant amplitude phase difference.

 

[GNRtau]

Wow, haven't looked at this for a while, forgot about it. Sorry for reproducing an old discussion, but I'll check these out. I've also found a couple of a papers on the subject, trying to learn more.

I'm guessing this is a multidisciplinary line of research, but what sort of courses would be useful in order to get into a field doing this?

For anyone interested, here is a good one I found. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v468/n7323/full/468516a.html

 

[Ratch]

GNRtau,

Would it be possible to get a biological system to imitate or act like a semiconductor or nanoelectronic device or is that a fantasy?

Those are two disparate subjects. To consider your first question, do you know what a semiconductor is? Why do you think a biological semiconductor would be better than a inorganic one? If it cannot do what a silicon semiconductor can do, why consider it?

In what way are you thinking of a "biological semiconductor" acting or imitating a inorganic one. Silicon semiconductors do a lot of things. What do you think biologicals can do that silicon can't?

For anyone interested, here is a good one I found. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v468/n7323/full/468516a.html

Is $18.00 that they want for a copy interesting enough?

Ratch