This is a gumboot chiton or, in common parlance, a wandering meatloaf snail, and we actually do have a reason to write a post about it. The wandering meatloaf feeds itself by scraping algae off of rocks with up to 80 rows of magnetite teeth. Of course, this does cause the teeth to wear out pretty quickly, so the gumboot is always growing new ones.
In growing new teeth the disgusting hunk of snail produces nano-crystals of many of the minerals that are used in solar panels and Li-ion batteries at temperatures lower than what was previously thought to be possible.. Researchers are reverse engineering the way that the chiton grows its teeth in order to make cheaper and more efficient solar panels and rechargeable batteries. The use of rechargeable batteries in cars is already fairly obvious (hybrids and electrics) but solar panels are to be a major component of a hydrogen fuel infrastructure, should the industry head that way.
Related: Aston Martin is Going to Debut a Hydrogen Powered Rapide and a Limited Edition Roadster
Related: Reuters Says Electric Cars Are Dead Again
[via Ward's Auto]
