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This research demonstrates a breakthrough in synthetic biology where engineered bacterial strains function as modular components for living circuits capable of performing basic logic operations and signal routing. By regulating signaling molecules rather than electrical current, these biological transistors offer a novel pathway for creating self-replicating computing systems that could integrate directly with plant defenses or environmental monitoring networks. The work represents a significant step toward complex bio-computing architectures, moving beyond simple detection-response loops to true information processing within living matter.

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MIT turns bacteria into living transistors

ScienceDailySeptember 4, 20265 min read

MIT researchers have created bacterial “transistors” that can be wired together into living circuits capable of performing calculations and directing chemical signals. One day, these biological computers could coat plant roots or leaves, detecting environmental threats and automatically triggering defenses.

MIT researchers have engineered bacteria to work like transistors, creating living "circuit boards" that can be printed onto growth material inside a Petri dish. In conventional electronics, transistors act as switches that control whether electrical current can pass through a circuit. In the MIT system, engineered bacterial cells perform a similar role by regulating the movement of small signaling molecules. Those molecules then carry information to other components in the biological circuit. The researchers created two types of bacterial transistors and three additional bacterial strains that act as relays…

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