Yeast, bacteria and fungi have been used to synthesize a variety of nanocrystals. Now, the metal detoxification process in the gut of an earthworm is exploited to produce biocompatible cadmium telluride quantum dots.
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Tilley, R., Cheong, S. Earthworms lit with quantum dots. Nature Nanotech 8, 6–7 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nnano.2012.241
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nnano.2012.241
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