Living systems possess a remarkable level of control over their nanometer-scale architectures, their metabolic cycles of energy- and mass-conversion and offer a proof-of-principle that complex functioning systems can be effectively integrated from nanoscale components. Their underlying principles can be used in nanomaterial fabrication to create nanosystems from hybrid, soft/organic and hard/inorganic, components.

Why is spider silk stronger than steel? What makes bones so firm and yet flexible? How is it possible that cells can be reversibly stretched to many times their original length? And what molecular mechanisms cause proteins to malfunction mechanically, a circumstance which plays a central role in illnesses such as Alzheimer's, premature ageing and degenerative muscular diseases? All these phenomena are caused by intelligent, multi-functional biological nano-structures. Scientists are trying to decode the properties of these structures in order to create new materials that can benefit human beings or to find new ways of curing genetically inherited illnesses. Prof. Markus Buehler from MIT and Theodor Ackbarow pose the above questions and are pursuing an approach which involves investigating mechanical behaviour on an atomic level by means of simulations on high-performance computers to draw conclusions on the macroscopic level.

In fact it has already been reported that living bacteria is able to produce semiconducting nanotubes that can be applied in electronics, nanotechnology, as well as other fields of material science. The discovery might help in the creation of new nanoelectronic devices. Nosang Myung, UCR Associate Professor and Bongyoung Yoo discovered that bacteria called Shewanella creates arsenic-sulfide nanotubes with unique characteristics that resemble those of a metal. These nanotubes have electrical and photoconductive properties. For the first time nanotubes were developed by biological means rather than chemical. The finding might be a great step towards the production of less costly and eco-friendly electronic materials.