A team of researchers at UCSF and UT genetically engineered a strain of E. coli that responds to light stimulation. In order to take a picture, bacteria are grown on a plate coated with a sugar called S-gal, which doubles as a dye. When exposed to laser through an image mask (left), a sequence of controlled reactions is initiated. At the end, the bacteria exposed to the light release an enzyme, LacZ, that reacts with the sugar, creating a black pixel under each E. coli. This results in a photograph captured on bacterial film (right).
Image Credits: Aaron Chevalier
Bacterial films turn to photography (by Tom Simonite - Nature Online - November 2005)
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