I was looking up information on my class project and came across an article discussing how they have been able to use cockroaches for electricity. My first thought was, this is really gross but really cool.
According to David Ponce, it is much like the movie the Matrix where humans were used to harness energy for the machines, except the key to converting the chemical energy is using enzymes in series at the anode. So pretty much, it's the chemicals in the cockroach that produces the electricity.
I'm a big bug lover ( I know it's strange) and I love pretty much all insects and I dislike finding out information where people have to cut them open or hurt them in any way, but this article gave me some peace of mind. Unlike reptiles or mammals, insects have an open circulatory system so the blood is not under much pressure, so we don't have to worry about hitting a vein or an artery and seeing blood gush out. Surprisingly, the cockroaches can be poked and prodded again and gain because of this, they bounce right back and walk away as soon as the scientists are done using them for the day.
I find it absolutely fascinating to see that there are other ways of harnessing energy such as electricity, especially with the use of bugs?! Who knew one of the most un-loved insect, the cockroach, could come in handy :)
http://www.ohgizmo.com/2012/02/02/we-are-now-able-to-harvest-electricity-from-cockroaches/
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