Bacteria "R" Us
Rachel ArmstrongThere is a domain of creatures that diffusively encircles an entire planet. There are so many of them that they ...
Humans have relied on microbes for millennia. Yeast brews our beer and raises our bread. Bacteria in our guts keep us healthy. Microscopic phytoplankton in the ocean produce half of the world’s oxygen. Thanks to genetic engineering, technology, and good old evolution, humans are about to enter into a new phase of our ancient partnership. We may soon create bacteria that eat plastic, emit light, and even tell us whether or not we’re healthy. When it comes to microbes, big things come from small packages.
In 2009, undergraduates at the University of Cambridge worked with scientists and artists to engineer E. coli into E. chromi, a new type of bacteria that secretes a range of colorful pigments.
Real innovations are high tech but analogic they are created by mixing biology genetics and design to save energy and...
Bacteria are everywhere. Therefore it’s a safe assumption that they should also be present in plastic recycle factories. With this...
In the basement recording studio of the journal Nature scientist and broadcaster Adam Rutherford sat down with speculative architect Liam...