A soil "thinking", able to react actively strength to strength with increasing stress: they're developing some British researchers in a project that integrates the potential of the bacteria with the world.
Inspired by recent research on microbes can repair the cracks in the soil, the biodesigner group has
started work on genetically modified bacteria to produce biocemento, ie concrete of organic origin, in response to pressure changes perceived.
UNDER PRESSURE. Scientists have grown a common human gut bacterium in a surrogate of soil (a hydrogel sample of cylindrical shape) that have subjected to pressures equal to 10 times that perceived at sea level. They identified 122 bacterial genes that are activated up to 3 times more than normal in response to pressure changes.
GENERAL TESTS. The team modified the bacteria so that this activation did light a bioluminescent protein, and it worked: the greater the pressure exerted on the soil, the greater the sparkle of the protein.
The next step will be to replace the genes that make proteins to illuminate the genes that encode for biocemento: you will then have a soil "smart" capable of responding independently to pressure stress, maintaining security in the foundations of buildings.
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