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Creation of Living Materials Shows Potential

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CAMBRIDGE, Mass., March 25, 2014 — A new approach to materials synthesis has shown promise in the creation of living elements. Researchers at MIT have influenced E. coli bacterial cells to produce biofilms that could incorporate nonliving materials such as gold nanoparticles and quantum dots. They worked with E. coli because it naturally produces biofilms that contain “curli” fibers — amyloid proteins that help E. coli attach to surfaces. Each fiber is made from a repeating chain of identical protein subunits (CsgA), which can be modified by adding peptides. They programmed the cells to produce...Read full article

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    Published: March 2014
    Glossary
    quantum dots
    A quantum dot is a nanoscale semiconductor structure, typically composed of materials like cadmium selenide or indium arsenide, that exhibits unique quantum mechanical properties. These properties arise from the confinement of electrons within the dot, leading to discrete energy levels, or "quantization" of energy, similar to the behavior of individual atoms or molecules. Quantum dots have a size on the order of a few nanometers and can emit or absorb photons (light) with precise wavelengths,...
    AmericasArmy Research OfficeBasic ScienceBiofilmsBiophotonicsdefenseDepartment of DefenseE. colielectricitygold nanoparticlesImagingMassachusettsMicroscopyMITmoleculesnanowiresNational Institutes of HealthNational Science FoundationOffice of Naval ResearchpeptidesPresidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineersproteinquantum dotsResearch & Technologysolar cellsbacterial cellsnonliving materialscurli fibersCsgAHertz Foundation

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