Researchers at MIT have engineered bacteria capable of producing signals detectable from as far as 90 meters, a significant advancement in biological sensing technology. Traditionally, bacteria designed to sense environmental molecules, such as soil nutrients or pollutants, could only be read microscopically, making field monitoring logistically challenging and time-consuming.
Under the leadership of Christopher Voigt, the team designed two types of bacteria—one native to soil and another to aquatic environments—that respond to specific target chemicals by synthesizing hyperspectral reporter molecules. These molecules display distinctive absorption patterns across the visible and infrared spectra, which allow remote imaging tools such as hyperspectral cameras to detect and quantify the chemical signals visualized in agricultural fields or natural environments.
The technology presents a ´plug and play´ platform, as the reporters can be linked to any genetic circuit configured to recognize a target molecule, from pollutants like arsenic to vital soil nutrients or even radiation. This enables broad adaptability, depending on user needs or agricultural challenges. The innovation is being brought to market by the MIT spinout Fieldstone Bio, with the research led by postdoc Yonatan Chemla and co-author Itai Levin. These remotely readable biological sensors raise the potential for responsive, high-resolution environmental monitoring, easily integrated with automated artificial intelligence-driven data interpretation systems on board drones or satellites.
