Global Health

Hot? Cold? Now bacteria have their own thermostats to help treat disease

Doctors might one day regulate therapeutic microbes. Image: REUTERS/Suzanne Plunkett

Whitney Clavin
Science communicator, Caltech
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 The glowing images in this animation were drawn on petri-dish plates with bacteria. The bacteria were engineered to respond to temperature changes. The bacteria seen in the tree express green fluorescent protein at temperatures above 36 degrees Celsius. Bacteria seen in the sun express a red fluorescent protein above 40 degrees Celsius. Bacteria in the lawn have both the green and red thermal switches, and thus turn yellow at the higher temperatures. (Image credit: Shapiro Lab/Caltech)
Image: Caltech
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