Bacteria Used To Fix Cracked Concrete

An anonymous reader writes "Researchers at the UK's University of Newcastle have created a new type of bacteria that generates glue to hold together cracks in concrete structures — that means everything from concrete sidewalks to buildings that have been damaged by earthquakes. When the cells have been germinated, they burrow deep into the concrete until they reach the bottom. At this point, the concrete repair process is activated, and the cells split into three types that produce calcium carbonate crystals, act as reinforcing fibers, and produce glue which acts as a binding agent to fill concrete gaps."

Comments

Okay.

[pushing-robot]

I think it's officially "the future".

Re:Okay.

[Anonymous Coward]

Call me when they can pour this Bacterial pudding into a bullet wound and have it heal up...that's the future I'm waiting for. Then I can finally start my crime-fighting vigilante spree.

Re:How do they know where 'the bottom' is?

[falldeaf]

I think that whole nanobot grey goo problem is way overhyped. Biological organisms are much more advanced than our technology and they haven't been able to turn all matter into copies of themselves yet, despite their best efforts.