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As a bacterial colony grows into the shape of a hemisphere, the gene circuit triggers the production of a type of protein to distribute within the colony that can recruit inorganic materials. When supplied with gold nanoparticles by researchers, the system forms a golden shell around the bacterial colony, the size and shape of which can be controlled by altering the growth environment.
The result is a device that can be used as a pressure sensor, proving that the process can create working devices.
While other experiments have successfully grown materials using bacterial processes, they have relied entirely on externally controlling where the bacteria grow and have been limited to two dimensions. In the new study, researchers at Duke demonstrate the production of a composite structure by programming the cells themselves and controlling their access to nutrients, but still leaving the bacteria free to grow in three dimensions.
If manufacturing comes to employ bacteria to fabricate, will antibiotics be banned as weapons of mass destruction?
Yangxiaolu Cao, Yaying Feng, Marc D. Ryser, Kui Zhu, Gregory Herschlag, Changyong Cao, Katherine Marusak, Stefan Zauscher, Lingchong You. Programmed Assembly of Pressure Sensors Using Pattern-Forming Bacteria. Nature Biotechnology, 2017. DOI: 10.1038/nbt.3978
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Tuesday October 10 2017, @07:19PM
Mutations mutations. Throw monkey wrenches into the sensors.
Bacteria Self-Organize to Build Working Sensors
Bacteria Self-Organize to Work Building Sensors
Bacteria Self-Organize to Sense Building Workers
Workers Organize to Sense Self-Building Bacteria
Workers Organize to Build Self-Sensing Bacteria
Workers Sense Bacteria to Self-Organize Buildings
Organized Buildings Work to Self-Sense Bacteria
Selfish Workers Sense Organized Building Bacteria
Selfish Workers Bacteria Censor Organized Buildings
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.