Designer Bacteria can heal cracks in concrete buildings

The cold definition for life is a complex, positive-feedback chemical reaction. While this perspective lends itself less to poetry, having self-replicating chemical factories can prove immensly useful from an engineering perspective. Things from pharmaceuticals to fibrous clothing materials are already being made by genetically modified life forms, but now, researchers have created a strain of bacteria that could build bridges and maintain structures.

Researchers at the University of Newcastle in the UK have designed a strain of Bacillus subtilis that produces a special glue-like compound that can fill in cracks in concrete structures. The genetically modified bacteria begin to proliferate when in contact with concrete, triggered by a very specific pH. The bacteria descend into the crack, sensing when they reach the bottom due to clumping, called quorum sensing.

Once they reach the bottom, the cells differentiate into three types; one that creates calcium carbonate, one that creates a binding glue, and one that becomes fibrous. Two chemical compounds bind the fibrous bacteria together, solidifying it into a structure as strong as the surrounding concrete.

I found this article to be interesting because it encourages a relatively new train of thought. While technology is often used to promote biological improvement, there is no reason the process cannot go both ways. With cells’ plastic and precise applications, it’s a wonder more technology doesn’t include a biological component for maintenance and operation. Hopefully this will accelerate the acceptance and development of the concept, where life is used to aid in repair, construction, and even computation and processing. Why should we assume that being a cyborg is any less a dream of the machines?

Source:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40201539/ns/technology_and_science-green_innovation/