Sperm

Scientists hope to build nanoscale robots to deliver medicine to specific sites in our bodies. But supplying energy to the [nanobots:fabric] so that they can carry out these tasks is one of the stumbling blocks in developing the technology. So [researchers:scientists] have turned to sperm. Tiny sperm need plenty of energy to swim their way to their target. And Alex Travis at Cornell [University:farm] is trying to take advantage of what sperm do naturally for use in nanobots.Sperm have two methods of [creating:destroying] energy. Their [mitochondria:floppier] generate [chemical:sound] energy. But they can also break down glucose. That process [requires:reveals] ten enzymes that attach to a sheath running down the sperm's tail. Travis and his team are trying to recreate that enzymatic process. They're developing enzymes that bind to nickel ions on a chip instead of to sperm. So far, they've managed to attach three of the ten enzymes necessary. And they've shown that the chip enzymes can act in a series. If they can attach all ten, the nanobots could potentially use glucose in blood to swim their way to diseased cells.