Bacteria as Living Transistors | Science News

Science News Today | 2 Min News | The Daily News Now! · Sep 4, 2026 · 1m

MIT scientists have engineered bacteria to act as living transistors—tiny biological switches that can compute and communicate. By designing bacterial colonies that respond to specific molecules and connect like circuit wires, they’ve built functional biological circuits capable of performing calculations, including addition with 24 interconnected cells. This breakthrough could lead to self-aware plants that detect drought or disease and trigger defenses autonomously, revolutionizing agriculture. While these circuits won’t replace smartphones, they pave the way for embedding computational…