It seems like cows hitting the treadmill to produce alternative energy was not enough that now scientists have come up with a unique way of generating energy using cow brains. Scientists at Stanford Institute of Materials and Energy Science, a joint SLAC and Stanford venture, are finding ways of developing nanostructured inorganic material that can be used in batteries and solar cells from clathrin, a protein found in cow brains.
Clathrin can be used as a skeletal template for the growth of inorganic materials into a variety of shapes like cubes, spheres, barrels and tetrahedral. This protein can be pulled out into any desired shape at room temperature and pressure very easily as compared to the synthetic materials that need harmful chemicals and high temperatures to form different shapes. Once the clathrin proteins are assembled into proper structures, they are added to materials like gold and titanium dioxide, forming catalysts and electrodes that can in turn be used in batteries and solar cells.
Via: Inhabitat