I'm almost 400 messages behind in my reading here. I did a quick scan of headers and it looks like no one had posted this yet. My apologies if it has already been mentioned somewhere inside a post:
http://boingboing.net/2012/06/27/genetically-evolved-semiconduc.html
"Researchers have "evolved" new semiconducting structures in a process that could someday lead to higher-performing computer chips. The UC Santa Barbara bio/nano-engineers amplified the DNA of silicateins, the proteins that guide the formation of marine sponges' silica skeletons. The natural mutations produced by that process resulted in silicateins genetically encoded to produce different templates for silica skeletons."
So I guess we know what is coming next, right? ;) And here I thought all along it was going to be the zombies that destroyed our civilization...
Davis
(Still mustering thoughts for my review of "Survival Margin".)