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Science

A Round of Applause for the Gonorrhea-Based Molecular Machine

11:00AM April 22, 2008 | Benny Goldman

newVideoPlayer("superbacteria.flv", 475, 376,""); Gonorrhea isn’t just an STD known for causing burning sensations when you pee; it’s the strongest organism known to man. Able to pull 100,000 times its body weight, the clap may soon serve a purpose greater than painfully reminding you of nights spent cruising the Red Light District. Scientists hope to use gonorrhea bacteria in nanotech devices because of the strong forces they can exert on nearby objects. In the clip above, gonorrhea is using pili filaments it produces, which are 10 times longer than the bacterium itself, to pull tiny columns.

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