Programmed bacteria build working electronic sensor

The possibility of growing electronic devices from bacteria seeded with metal nanoparticles has been raised by researchers from Duke University in North Carolina. The team has demonstrated that bacteria can be programmed to self-organise into a form that the cells themselves can transform into components of a working sensor.

The research mimics an action commonly seen in nature, where a living system combines inorganic materials and organic materials to make new materials with exceptional properties. Mollusc shells, for example, combine the mineral calcium carbonate with small amounts of proteins that greatly increase the mineral’s strength. Bone is a similar composite of organic collagen and inorganic minerals made up of various salts

"Nature is a master of fabricating structured materials consisting of living and non-living components," said Lingchong You, who led the research. "But it is extraordinarily difficult to program nature to create self-organised patterns. This work, however, is a proof-of-principle that it is not impossible."