Magnetsopirilllum magneticum

...a naturally magnetic microorganism found in ponds and lakes, which swim along the Earth's magnetic lines, aligning like a compass needle.

When they eat iron, proteins interact to produce tiny crystals of magnetite, the most magnetic of all naturally occurring minerals on Earth.

After studying how proteins inside the bacteria collect, shape and position these so-called nanomagnets, researchers copied the method and applied it outside the bacteria, in a move that has been likened to "growing" magnets.

The researchers say that enabling these nanomagnets to hold information will lead to "the hard drive of the future."

-- report