That is interesting, that all I can really say.
Is sickeningly fast RAM on the horizon? A group of UCLA researchers say they have created a faster type of transistor that could one day replace flash memory, using a destructive plant virus. The researchers used parts of the tobacco mosaic virus coated with platinum nanoparticles. When a small electrical charge is applied, the result is a transistor that can open and close about 10 times faster than today's fastest flash RAM. The scientists expect to build a prototype within for years using several million virus parts, but they do not address how dangerous the RAM would be. The tobacco mosaic virus can infect more than 150 types of plants, but tobacco is especially susceptible. It's the most persistent plant virus known and can survive up to 50 years is dried plant parts. It can lie dormant in cigars and cigarettes, which when handled or smoked can pass the virus along to household plants. To date, no hard drives have been infected. |