Is there nothing bacterium ca n’t do ? Under the thrifty eye of researcher and designerNatsai Audrey Chieza , the itsy - bitsy organisms have taken on an unexpected new role in the fashion industry , offer a beautiful and environmentally friendly option to commercial-grade dye .
style is presently present " an existential crisis , " Chieza told Mental Floss , " around the fact that it ’s the second - most polluting industry in the universe . " It ’s got problems coming and going : cloth product uses huge sum of weewee and yields high amounts of petrochemical permissive waste .
Contemplating these issues , Chieza began to inquire if the solution could be biological . She began putter withStreptomycesbacteria , palaver them to free their own richnatural pigmentsinto small swatches of silk .
It ’s unlike any other impression process she ’s ever feel , she explain , because the living bacterium are both invisible to the naked eye and slightly particular artistic collaborator . way temperature , pH levels , and the size of it of their petri sweetheart home all influence the fashion the germ lay down their dyestuff .
Chieza ’s desktop is in art and design , so once she live she ’d rack up on something interesting , she started looking for scientific collaborators . After a stint working with synthetic biologist as designer - in - residence at University College London , Chieza cross path with Christina Agapakis , creative director at the self - account " organism invention platform"Ginkgo Bioworks .
" Our expertise is in bug and how to wreak with them and keep them happy , " Agapakis recite Mental Floss . " We think that biology is such an amazing way to make stuff . "
The creative person and theorganism designersare now " modernise a lot of different things all at the same prison term , " Chieza says . One of their biggest motion is scale — how a microscopic summons could be enlarged to dye entire garments and yards of fabric , act " from the biological to the body to architectural . "
" At Ginkgo , " she continues , " we ’re wondering how much we can make so that it can actually plug in to the demand for material resources . How do we bridge the remainder between 250 cubic centimeter and 50,000 l ? "
Part of the puzzler involve building all - newfangled technology to domiciliate the all - new dyeing summons , and insure that both are environmentally sound and imagination - conservative .
At every step of the physical process , Chieza says she asks herself , " What does this all mean ? How does this relate to society ? Is it actually going to solve this trouble ? "
We ’re looking ahead to finding out .
