Scientists have developed messages that only appear under specific biochemical triggers, using living bacteria.
Bacteria are not usually seen as reliable carriers of information because they divide, move, die, and react unpredictably to their environment – and these behaviors seem opposite to what is needed for stable data storage.
However, the same traits can be used to make bacterial patterns hard to copy without knowing the right strains and chemical triggers. Living codes that change over time or respond only to specific biochemical signals offer security that regular materials cannot. The idea of using bacteria for cryptography has gained attention, but real-world applications are still rare. Most earlier attempts relied on genetically engineered bacteria that showed visible signals, limiting their use to specially modified strains.Advanced nanoparticles allow precise control of bacterial patterningA recent study in Advanced Functional Materials overcomes these limitations by introducing a multilevel encoding platform. The researchers used a photodynamic approach with specially designed nanoparticles that kill bacteria exposed to light, leaving unexposed bacteria alive to form high-resolution, biochemically responsive patterns, Nanowerk reported.Bacterial patterns stay hidden until the right chemical trigger reveals them. The system uses a photodynamic nanoparticle with four parts: MeO-TSP, a light-activated molecule that kills cells; a mix of lauric and stearic acids to boost this effect; and two polymers, polyvinyl alcohol and poly, that form a protective shell around the particle.The fatty acid matrix clusters the light-activated molecules, boosting their production of reactive oxygen species under white light. Modeling showed this clustering twists the molecules, enabling efficient quantum transitions needed for ROS generation. The positively charged polymer shell attracts negatively charged bacteria, bringing nanoparticles close enough for reactive oxygen species to effectively damage bacterial membranes and increase antibacterial activity.With the antibacterial system in place, researchers created precise bacterial patterns. They spread nanoparticle-coated bacteria on mixed cellulose ester membranes and exposed them to light through a photomask. Bacteria in illuminated areas were killed by reactive oxygen species, while those in masked regions survived. Living bacterial codes reproduced with unprecedented precisionThis produced living patterns matching the photomask design with a high resolution of 15.99 μm, exceeding most previous methods. The membranes also allow biofilms to be transferred between culture media, unlike traditional agar, which destroys patterns when moved.The system’s strength comes from differences in bacterial metabolism. Each species has unique enzymes and biochemical pathways that react to specific chromogenic substrates, revealing hidden patterns. MRSA turns tellurite into black colonies, while E. coli processes X-Gal with β-galactosidase to form cyan deposits. Live bacteria stain blue with Hoechst 33342, and dead bacteria fluoresce red with propidium iodide. These responses allowed the creation of advanced codes, including one-dimensional Morse patterns and two-dimensional QR codes. Some codes showed false information with one substrate but revealed the true message with another. The team even developed puzzle-style QR codes requiring assembly and biochemical activation to decode.Thus, the first photodynamic bacterial encoding uses spatial control and metabolism to create a living system for secure information storage and anti-counterfeiting, with MRSA and E. coli as proof-of-concept strains that could be replaced with safe lab strains.
Bacterial Metabolism Innovation Messages QR Codes Science
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Invisible shield: New ‘cloaking device’ to guard tech from magnetic disruptionsA team of engineers led by Dr. Harold Ruiz has demonstrated the first practical method for creating 'magnetic cloaks' that work on objects of any shape.
Read more »
Scientists build 'most accurate' quantum computing chip ever thanks to new silicon-based computing architectureTristan is a U.S-based science and technology journalist. He covers artificial intelligence (AI), theoretical physics, and cutting-edge technology stories. His work has been published in numerous outlets including Mother Jones, The Stack, The Next Web, and Undark Magazine.
Read more »
Scientists Find Full Fat Cheese Helps Lower Dementia Risk in Surprising StudyFor most people, Alzheimer’s disease is the first condition they think of when they hear the word dementia. The degenerative brain disease is the most common type of dementia, but Alzheimer’s is far from the only one.
Read more »
Earth's Seasons Are Strangely Out of Sync, Scientists Discover From SpaceThe Best in Science News and Amazing Breakthroughs
Read more »
Scientists found creatures never seen before by diving into the ocean's 'twilight zone'Only a scattering of light penetrates the deep water, more than 300 feet beneath the ocean surface off the coast of Guam. It's like twilight to the human eye, even in the middle of the day.
Read more »
Scientists push back on Trump plan to break up a critical climate and weather centerExperts fear the move could jeopardize the accuracy of forecasting and prediction systems.
Read more »