研究表明细菌可传递信息

Scientists have devised an encryption method that thieves may not be able to stomach – messages written using genetically engineered bacteria normally associated with food poisoning.

科学家发明了一种加密的方法，能使已经成型的在细菌中的胃癌信息和食物中毒相结合。

Researchers at Tufts University in Massachusetts created strains of E.coli that glowed different colours when exposed to light beams. They were then put in a grid, with different colours representing different letters of the alphabet and the numbers 1-9, to reveal a short message.

在马塞诸塞州的塔夫斯大学的研究人员制造了关于大肠杆菌的菌株，当暴露在光束下的时候，能呈现出不同的颜色。当他们被呈现在网状的数字表中，依据反射在数字上的不同的颜色来褪色信息。

Professor David Walt, the study’s head author and a chemist at Tufts University, told Bloomberg: ‘It’s another layer of protection, a way of sending secure messages, preventing counterfeiting and providing authentication.

这项研究的主要负责人，这位塔夫斯大学的化学家大卫·瓦特教授，告诉彭博社说：“这其实是另一种意义上的保护，一种安全的传递信息的方式，能够防止伪造并为证明提供证据。”

The message Professor Walt’s team wrote was ‘this is a bioencoded message from the Walt lab at Tufts university 2011’.

瓦特教授的团队所捕捉到的信息是“这是2011年从塔夫斯大学瓦特教授的实验室中的出的结论”。

He explained that messages sent back and forth between companies would be incredibly difficult to decipher, as unique growth chemicals could be used, and very hard to find as the bacteria are microscopic.

他解释说，这个信息被还回来，对于公司来说，实在是太难破译了。要不是由于化学科技的应用，估计在显微镜下很难找到这种细菌的。

He told MailOnline: 'Bacteria could be printed on the packaging in some pre-determined location. When the product arrives at its destination, someone would take the packaging material, print it on an agar plate [a petri dish] and then grow the bacteria under a pre-arranged growth condition.'

他告诉邮报在线说：“细菌在某些预设的包装位置，是可以被发现的。当货物到达某一目的地的时候，某些人会打开包装材料，并将它放到一个琼脂板上，然后让细菌在一个提前安排好的环境中生长。”

The recipient then shines a light on the bacteria to reveal the message.

然后那些容器会被放到光束下面来获取信息。

Professor Walt added: 'Both the location and the growth medium would be unknown to anyone except the shipper and receiver. The bacteria are invisible so they would be impossible to find.

瓦特教授接着说：“除了运输单位和接收单位，位置以及整个细菌生长的媒介都是未知的。我们根本是不可能找到他们的。”

'This approach would likely be suitable for high-valued products, such as a drugs shipment for a pharmaceutical company.

“这个方法对那些昂贵的东西是很合适的，例如为药品公司运送药品。”

When this experiment will germinate into practice, however, is too early to say.

现在讨论什么时候这个实验能够付诸实践实在是有点早。

Professor Walt said: ‘We need to make some additional advances with respect to more colours, different “ciphers” and demonstrate long term storage before one could consider such an application.’

瓦特教授还说，“我们需要更多的颜色来说明密码，并且需要长时间的维持信息的储存。”