Scientific conferences, IGEM projects and awesome microbes! BactToTheFuture brought us lots of interesting #synbio stories this month and we chose the best ones for you.

1 You don’t see them but they are incredibly powerful. Learn all about the #microbes that surround you watching this #TEDtalk by @AnneAMadden
Antiseptic mouthwash for a healthy smile, sterilizing products for the kitchen, or even disinfectants for our clothes! We are surrounded by microbes that we keep on fighting against, but it’s time to explore all the potential of these tiny creatures! Find out what they can do with this TED talk from Anne Madden To the video >

2 Say goodbye to the hangover with this shot of engineered probiotics! 🍻🍹🍷
Is this magic? No, it’s science! Zbiotics is a pioneering product that contains bioengineered bacteria that break down a toxic byproduct of alcohol (acetaldehyde) responsible for all those undesired side-effects of having one drink too many. Read more >

3 Don’t run out of battery! You just need #bacteria and water!
Low cost and biodegradable. Researchers from the State University of New York have designed an eco-friendly battery that runs on very special bacteria called exoelectrogens. To obtain energy, these microbes feed on organic matter and release electrons that can be used to power small electronic devices! Read more >

4 Got lost? These guys have your back! With their inner compass these #AwesomeMicrobes will show you the true north!
Magnetotactic bacteria need no navigator to find the right way! Thanks to small magnetic crystals within their cells, these awesome microbes are able to align themselves with the Earth’s magnetic fields!


5 The #Synbio revolution keeps spreading worldwide and countries around the globe are contributing to it. #Australia is one of them and this is their story.
Despite it’s young history, synbio has proven to be a real revolution that countries worldwide are joining. But what does the future hold for this field? The Australian Council of Learned Academies (ACOLA) tried to answer this question with this interesting report in which they explore the present and future of synbio in Australia! Read more >

6 September is a month full of #SynBio activities! Like the #gasb2conf from @gasb_synbio next week in Berlin: synthetic biology made in Germany! 🥨🍻
And from Australia we move to Germany, another country that doesn’t want to stay behind in the Synbio race! For the second year in a row the German Association for Synthetic Biology organised the GASB conference to gather international researchers working across the country to boost the future of the synbio field! Read more >

7 If you are a young #microbiologist, this is your #JAM! Share your science, meet other researchers and win an award!
The JAMs, or Junior Awards for Microbiology are monthly seminars that aim to connect young research across europe.Scientific discussion and networking in a friendly atmosphere! Check it out! To the JAM website >

8 With this #AgarArt you can look at the stars all day long! An amazing design by Maria Laura Echarren for the @ASMicrobiology contest! #bioart #bacterialart
With just bacteria and petri dishes scientists like Maria Laura Echarren can create beautiful pieces of art like this one! With this piece, she won the People’s Choice award of this year’s Agar Art contest from the American Society for Microbiology.


The IGEM Giant Jamboree is approaching and we keep learning about this year’s amazing projects!

9 We are loving the ideas from all the #IGEM teams out there! Like this one from @igemgroningen: Yeast-made bioplastic for a more sustainable future!
These students from the University of Groningen are transforming yeast cell into tiny bioplastic factories. Using #Synbio, they are engineering these microbes to break down cellulose and produce styrene, a building block of plastic, this way providing an alternative solution for the oil-based manufacturing! Find out more>

10 What color is stress? These students from @iGEM_Leiden will screen all “Fifty Shades of Stress” to fight pathogens and find new ways to combat #AntibioticResistance
Many of our currently available antibiotics are no longer able to kill resistant bacteria. Instead, they are just able to harm the cells but not efficiently enough to fight infections.The IGEM team from Leiden University is trying to give a second life to these molecules by finding lethal combinations of these compounds that they detect by engineering bacteria to change color in response to harm or stress. With this colorful approach, these students aim to screen antibiotics and find new ways to combat antibiotic resistance. Watch video >