Biological Wind/Watermills

The source of all biological energy is the sun, through the photosynthesis process. Ultimately, life on earth is Solar. However, as we try to get more "sustainable energy", we work also with other types of energy, namely, wind. The sights of those huge wind turbines are awe-inspiring, and somewhat disturbing. Can we also build molecular wind turbines?

Recently, it has been done. Nanostructures in the form of wind turbines have been constructed. However, as opposed to the biological world, these wind turbines produce electricity. This is unhelpful for living organisms (other than ourselves).

Another puzzling question arises: life has the unique capacity to exploit the resources at its disposal. It has recently been discovered that there are bacteria that can utilize gamma radiation as a source of food. Why not wind and/or water currents?

The answer cannot be that it is mechanical, since the other way is abundant: biological energy, in the form of ATP molecules, move flagella, which are kinds of whirly hairs that drive cells, e.g. sperms, to move. So the conversion from ATP to movement is ubiquitous. Why not the opposite?

A biological-energy producing apparatus, like in the mitochondria, utilizes a pump that converts H+ gradient over membrane into ATP (using ATP-synthase protein). In other words, a source of energy in the mitochondrion creates a concentration gradient, which is then converted to ATP, which is the energy currency in biology.

I propose to create a novel energy-producing nano-structure, namely, the biological watermill. The structure should have the shape of a water mill that transforms water current (water since most of life happens in aqueous environment, but wind current can also be used for floating bacteria or plants) into a concentration gradient and then, with ATP-synthase, into ATP. This structure will thus create a completely novel and unique energy source for biology.

Furthermore, with the new DNA-folding (see previous post), one can probably create the structure from biological materials only, e.g. DNA, or try, with novel computer-aided protein-folding software, design the structure as a protein. This presents a unique, and somewhat troubling opportunity to introduce a DNA-coded windmill into biology. Inserting this into bacteria and/or plants can have drastic ramifications. Perhaps it can serve as a novel energy source in starving countries.

To conclude, I suggest inventing a current-driven (wind or water) biological structure that produces ATP. It opens a completely new type of energy for living organisms.