An unlikely source for power

A research team out of NorthWestern University is taking care of two deep-space travel birds with one stone: 1.) We need a as many sources for electricity as we can get 2.) We need some means by which to process solid human waste.

Yes, that's right, the researchers have found a way to convert feces into electricity. Through the use of new microbial fuel cells they hope to make this weird though potentially very useful idea come to fruition. The article, at Space.com, has a charming quote about the inner workings of the fuel cell:

"Each fiber would consist of three layers, like three straws, one inside of another. Each layer corresponds to one of the layers of a fuel cell: the anode (outer), the electrolyte-membrane (middle), and the cathode (inner). A slurry of liquefied waste would be pumped past the outer layers where Geobacter microbes (or other similar bacteria) can grab electrons and move them to the anode, into the circuit, and then to the cathode."

This reads fairly reasonably until one gets to the line "A slurry of liguefied waste" which is just a terrible image. In any case this seemse like an outside the box kind of idea that could make a manned trip to mars that much more plausable.