Scientists at Duke University in North Carolina have used a synthetic gene circuit to programme bacteria into creating a three - dimensional shell , according to an article in Nature Biotechnology . The team discovered the gene circuit prompted the synthesis of a protein that " recruited " inorganic materials , and the bacteria self - organised to create a shell . The study appears online on October 9 in Nature Biotechnology. " Applications could include pressure sensors , low - cost dies or moulds for manufacturing , or even materials that can change shape or repair themselves .
Scientists at Duke University in North Carolina have used a synthetic gene circuit to programme bacteria into creating a three - dimensional shell , according to an article in Nature Biotechnology . The team discovered the gene circuit prompted the synthesis of a protein that " recruited " inorganic materials , and the bacteria self - organised to create a shell . Applications could include pressure sensors , low - cost dies or moulds for manufacturing , or even materials that can change shape or repair themselves .