Category: 3. Research

ENG: MIT researchers have developed engineered bacteria that can function like transistors, allowing them to build “living circuit boards” capable of processing information. Instead of controlling electrical current, these biological transistors regulate the movement of signaling molecules between bacterial colonies. The team created two types of bacterial transistors and three relay strains that transmit signals between them, providing a modular set of components that can be combined to perform different computational tasks.

ENG: Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder are developing a new approach to aerodynamic flow control that uses engineered microscopic vibrations beneath an aircraft’s surface. Led by Mahmoud I. Hussein, the work focuses on phononic subsurfaces (PSubs), specially designed materials that interact passively with airflow without changing the external shape of a wing or fuselage. By controlling tiny internal vibrations known as phonons, these subsurfaces could delay the transition from laminar to turbulent flow, potentially reducing aerodynamic drag and improving fuel efficiency in commercial and high-speed aircraft.