Scientists Make Bacteria Behave Like Computers

www.livescience.com...

Bacteria have been programmed to behave like computers, assembling themselves into complex shapes based on instructions stuffed into their genes.

The research could lead to smart biological devices that could detect hazardous substances or bioterrorism chemicals, scientists say. Eventually, the process might be used to direct the construction of useful devices or the growth of new tissue, perhaps restoring function to a severed spinal cord.

Many lines of research hold similar promise for controlling biology to build useful things. Predictions do not always come true. What's new about this latest effort is that the bacteria are made to communicate, so that millions or even billions of them gather in a predictable manner.

And there are pictures to prove it.

The researchers programmed E. coli bacteria to emit red or green fluorescent light in response to a signal emitted from another set of E. coli. The living cells were commanded to make a bull's-eye pattern, for example, around central cells based on communication between the bacteria.

Other patterns produced with this new "synthetic biology" technique include a pretty good semblance of a heart and a rudimentary flower pattern.

this is amazing...

PIC: A flower-like pattern created by the Princeton group

PIC: A bull's-eye pattern might be used to identify toxins

PIC: Here the bacteria assemble into a heart shape

ENJOY!!!

I wonder if this technology could eventually work in tandem with nanotech once the two sciences come into their own? The implications and possibilities seem limitless. I mean, eventually this kind of thing could probably eradicate cancer and almost any other disease. I think it also offers hope to those suffering mental afflictions.

Amazing stuff, indeed!

Originally posted by daboga75
I wonder if this technology could eventually work in tandem with nanotech once the two sciences come into their own? The implications and possibilities seem limitless. I mean, eventually this kind of thing could probably eradicate cancer and almost any other disease. I think it also offers hope to those suffering mental afflictions.

Amazing stuff, indeed!

glad to see you enjoy it...

soon, we will be able to control bacteria, like a computer...

The feats of science we are pulling off these days truly are amazing, and we just get one step further with each passing day. 100 years ago we had nothing in terms of science and technology compared to what we have today. If there were a graph to show how far along we are, the line would stay pretty low along the graph and then spike up violently at the very end... where we are now. This post only proves that point. It truly is amazing!