Publications
A modular microbial–hydroponic system for circular urban plant cultivation
Cities produce tons of waste. But what if some of it could grow food, recover nutrients, and sustain living microbial ecosystems all at once? Our latest paper explores exactly that: a modular microbial–hydroponic system designed for circular urban...
Where design meets biology: an interview on SPIKA, a prototype for microbe-mediated architecture
Recently, researchers Ezgi Öğün Ramalhete, Işıl Yücel, and Jorge Barriuso were interviewed for a Q&A article in Nature Communications Biology about SPIKA, our prototype for microbe-mediated architecture, exhibited at the 23rd Milan Triennale 2025.
In the interview, they share what drew them to the project, the challenges of working at the intersection of microbiology, and design architecture, and what they learned from the public’s response.
Integrating electroactive microorganisms into active soil management strategies
Our partners at Sony CSL Paris, alongside Lenon Romano Modesto and Rachel Armstrong, recently published a review in Frontiers in Microbiology exploring how electroactive microorganisms (EAMs) could be integrated into agricultural soils as living, programmable components of regenerative farming systems.
Impact of oxygen availability on Escherichia coli metabolism to produce 2,3-butanediol from acetate
Our partners at the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) have recently published an exciting study exploring how acetate, a byproduct of CO2 capture and biomass pretreatment, can be used as a sustainable carbon source to produce 2,3-butanediol (2,3-BDO). With this research, they are finding ways to move away from food-based sugars and toward alternative feedstocks derived from industrial.