A special protein that conducts electricity.

Proteins are part of each cell and are often thought of as an inert organism.
now, scientists have discovered a special protein that conducts electricity.
if these findings can be replicated and used, we can have a powerful new diagnostic tool for medical use that identifies individual protein molecules.
four years of research, the team at Arizona State University examined and reviewed their work, comparing the data with assumptions and explanations, and concluded that it was indeed a conductive protein.
initially, Stuart Lindsay and his team found in the study that alphaVbeta3, an integrated protein field of viscoprotein, showed "very high electron conductivity" when it was connected between the two electrodes.
in the years since, the team has been trying to find an explanation for this phenomenon, such as electron jumping, in which electrons can jump between atoms.
they didn't find matching experimental data in the experiment.
then, Stuart Lindsay saw the work of Gabor Vattay, a theoretical biophysicist at the University of Lorard in Hungary, who came up with the idea of quantum mechanics, in which proteins are in a special state between conductivity and insulation.
current fluctuations can make proteins conductors or insulators, which seems to be consistent with what Stuart Lindsay and his colleagues found in tests, said Mr. Vattay.
, with the help of Vattay and some supercomputer modeling, the researchers were able to match their alpha Vbeta3 protein region to a quantum critical state.
further experiments, scientists used a finer device to create a device that could switch the conductivity of proteins.
so far, researchers have been cautious about their findings because they have studied only one protein, and they hope future research will fill some of those gaps.
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