Bacteria can work as a team to spot prime numbers and vowels

Genetically engineered bacteria can work together to spot prime numbers, identify vowels or even work out the maximum number of slices a pizza can be cut into. The researchers behind the study say tiny biological computers like these can outcompete traditional computer chips in terms of both size and cost.

Sangram Bagh and his colleagues at the Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics in Kolkata, India, genetically engineered bacteria derived from Escherichia coli that could be combined in various ways to solve problems. These…