◎陳成良

Nanotech and biological hybrid could speed computers

奈米科技結合生物學可加快電腦速度

Researchers are working on integrating nanotechnology with biological materials to create more powerful computers, medical tools and even prosthetics.

研究人員正致力整合奈米科技與生物材料，以打造出更高效能的電腦、醫療器具甚至是義肢。

Scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory announced this week that they have built a hybrid platform out of a mixture of biological and manmade materials. The platform is enabling them to build prototypes of what they’re calling bio-nanoelectronic devices.

勞倫斯利佛摩國家實驗室的科學家本週宣布，他們利用生物及人造材料的一種混合物，建立了一個混合體平台。該平台使他們能夠建立他們所稱的「生物奈米電子儀器」雛形。

The platform, according to the laboratory, is based on nanowires that are coated in lipids, which are essential structural components of living cells. By combining the nanowires with the lipids, the resulting platform becomes more complex, which enables the hybrid material to convert signals much faster than today’s most powerful computers.

據該實驗室指出，此平台是以塗上脂質外膜的奈米線為基礎，脂質是活細胞必要的組構成分。藉由結合奈米線與脂質，產生的平台變得更複雜，使得這種混合物質轉換訊號的速度遠超過今日多數高效能電腦。

Various scientific teams are working to combine computer and electronic technology with biological materials.

不同的科學團隊正致力於將電腦及電子科技與生物材料結合為一。

This past spring, MIT researchers announced they had combined nanotechnology with genetically engineered viruses to build batteries that could power hybrid cars and cell phones.

今年春天，麻省理工學院的研究人員宣布，他們已結合奈米科技與基因工程改造的病毒，打造出可為混合動力汽車及手機提供動力的電池。

新聞詞典 Dictionary

hybrid：名詞，混合體、（動植物的）雜種。 hybrid car則指使用一種以上動力的車輛，如氣電混合車或油電混合車。例句：Toyota’s hugely popular Prius hybrid ranked as Japan’s top-selling car in August for the fourth straight month.（豐田大受歡迎的Prius油電混合車，在8月連續4個月成為日本最暢銷車款。）

integrate：動詞，使成一體；使結合、使合併。例句：I integrated your suggestion with my plan.（我把你的建議採納到我的計畫中來。）

essential：形容詞，必要的；不可缺的。例句：It is essential to balance one’s budget. （量入為出是很重要的。）

自由時報-980905

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