'Jellyfish' Smoothies Give Solar Solutions

Putting thousands of jellyfish in a mixer to make a smoothie sounds like the start of bad joke. In fact, it's one way to source ingredients for a new generation of solar power solutions that could aid medical science and give cheap energy.

Scientists say by liquidizing the humble Aequorea victoria - a glow-in-the-dark jellyfish usually found off the western coast of North America - they can use the green fluorescent protein (GFP) it contains to make miniature fuel cells.

These, say their creators, could be used to power microscopic "nanodevices" that could function independently inside the human body, helping reverse blindness or fight tumors.

Although the algae might at present be at risk, for the jellyfish there is good news. Thanks to modern breakthroughs allowing scientists to grow their own green glowing protein using bacteria - the unsuspecting sea creatures are no longer on the milkshake menu.