Paper power

Sony recently showed off a prototype battery that runs on paper. The batteries turn the paper into sugar, which gets converted into energy, and according to the scientists working on the project, are strong enough to power an mp3 player. The BBC explains further: “The process works by using the enzyme cellulase to decompose the materials into glucose sugar. These were then combined with oxygen and further enzymes which turned the material into electrons and hydrogen ions.” Scientists from Sony’s Advanced Materials Research Lab say the batteries are still at a very early stage, so don’t expect to find a Vita fueled by wrapping paper under this year’s tree.