Synthetic biology's in the news. Scientific American delves into using DNA molecules as logic gates that can sense environmental stimuli like cellular markers and could one day be used to detect and kill disease cells. The authors show how DNA gates can be built to play perfect games of tic-tac-toe.
Meanwhile, Technology Review has an article about MIT and Caltech students who are creating edible bacteria that fight cavities, produce vitamins, and treat lactose intolerance as part of MIT's iGEM competition. The MIT students are in the process of engineering the bacterium Lactobacillus bulgaricus, found in yogurt, to prevent cavities by inserting a piece of DNA containing both the gene for an anti-plaque peptide and one for a molecular signal that causes the bacterium to excrete it.