Organic semiconductor (Photo: Wikimedia)

Microchips like those used in computers and solar cells are typically made out of silicone and plastic. But researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara have been genetically-engineering proteins capable of making those same kind of silicon dioxide used in computer chips and titanium dioxide structures, typically used in solar cells.

As Engadget notes, organic circuits have been buzzed about for awhile, but organics haven’t been used to produce actual circuitry themselves. Ars Technica has a great breakdown of the unique process the university used to encode “a unique silica-forming protein,” or silicatein.

Organically-powered iPhone, anyone? Pairs well with a fixie and locally-sourced homebrew.

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