Question: What s the strangest thing you have seen develop from your bacteria?

Binuraj Menon answered on 6 Mar 2020:

Dear Grew389end,

We do a mix and match game with bacterial genetic DNA to give them super powers! Once, we had managed to give E.coli the ability to produce propane (a flammable gas present in gas canisters). This was by inserting genetic code from a rare cyanobacteria into E.coli. We tested it by showing a flame over the E.coli culture and observed the fire burn fiercely.

On a different note, for the last several weeks, my bacteria is very poorly. They grow very slowly and get lysed (cell wall breaks down), as they are getting infected by strange lab phages. Phages are virus that attack bacteria. This is one of the worst problems that we dread in microbiology labs. So, my current priority is to care for my bacteria and keep them happy!