TED Talks

Fatima AlZahra'a Alatraktchi: To detect diseases earlier, let's speak bacteria's secret language (2019x76)

Air date: Mar 27, 2019

Bacteria "talk" to each other, sending chemical information to coordinate attacks. What if we could listen to what they were saying? Nanophysicist Fatima AlZahra'a Alatraktchi invented a tool to spy on bacterial chatter and translate their secret communication into human language. Her work could pave the way for early diagnosis of disease — before we even get sick.