In a science fiction game I have, there is a project a civilisation can construct called the HeLa Turbine. The game describes it as essentially using 'cellular energy' to provide power on an empire-wide scale (similar to a Hoover Dam power source in magnitude). The cells that are used to construct the Turbine are from the HeLa mutant human cell lineage (hence the name). Would this actually be a feasible? I can imagine the use of cells to create a large potential gradient but I'm not sure if it would be as efficient as other processes (e.g. solar power), especially considering the efficiency of large cell culture batches for producing proteins.
Josh Harbort
Things in video games aren't usually practical, although the idea does sound quite interesting. Could you go into more detail about how the turbine is meant to work?
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