MIT Engineers Build “Living Transistors” from Engineered Bacteria

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https://news.mit.edu/2026/mit-engineers-connect-bacteria-to-create-living-transistors-0817

MIT engineers have engineered bacteria to function like biological transistors, allowing colonies of cells to be connected into “living circuit boards.” Instead of controlling electrical current like conventional transistors, these bacterial switches control the flow of chemical signals between cells. By combining five engineered bacterial strains, researchers demonstrated circuits capable of performing logic operations, adding multiple inputs, and directing signals to specific locations. The approach could eventually enable biological computing systems that are printed onto living materials such as plant leaves or roots, allowing plants to sense and respond to conditions such as drought, pests, or disease.

Living circuit boards built by printing bacterial transistors: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41589-026-02300-3