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04th Oct 2017

Irish scientists have discovered how to produce electricity from TEARS

The discovery is pretty major

Olivia Hayes

This could be major.

Irish scientists have found a way to produce electricity from tears, saliva and milk.

Researchers from the University of Limerick used pressure to create energy from protein crystals, which can be found in the above substances.

According to UL’s Bernel Institute, this could revolutionise medical implants which secrete drugs into the body.

Image result for tears

Professor Luuk van der Wielen said: “The impact of this discovery in the field of biological piezoelectricity will be huge and Bernal scientists are leading from the front in the progress in this field.”

Piezoelectricity is a property of materials which can be used for creating ultrasound images or vibrations in our phones.

Image result for electricity

However, if produced by natural substances, such as tears, it will be safer to work inside human bodies.

According to lead researcher Aimee Stapleton, the “biological material” is non-toxic and could have innovative applications involving medical implants.

Since electricity from tears has been proven, the team are now investigating how to use it to build the implants.