Project
Almost all complex living organisms have methods of intra species communication. Whether it's humans talking, dogs barking, birds singing, or bees emitting chemical messengers, many organisms have evolved to have unique means by which to tell each other very basic, but very important information. However, despite the extensive research done on how bacteria talk to each other, scientists have yet to determine a way for bacteria to communicate with the researcher in real time, and that’s where our project comes in. Over the past 4 months, our iGEM team has been working to develop a system to regulate and control the tumbling of bacterial flagella and a program by which to read changes in these behaviors in response to controlled environments such as pH and salt concentration. By translating the changing rotational behavior into audible frequencies we provide the basis for E. musici, an E. coli keyboard that gives bacteria the first ever ability to talk to us, the scientists.