研究表明細菌可傳遞信息

Scientists have devised an encryption method that thieves may not be able to stomach – messages written using genetically engineered bacteria normally associated with food poisoning.
　　科學家發明了一種加密的方法，能使已經成型的在細菌中的胃癌信息和食物中毒相結合。

Researchers at Tufts University in Massachusetts created strains of that glowed different colours when exposed to light beams. They were then put in a grid, with different colours representing different letters of the alphabet and the numbers 1-9, to reveal a short message.

在馬塞諸塞州的塔夫斯大學的研究人員製造了關於大腸桿菌的菌株，當暴露在光束下的時候，能呈現出不同的顏色。當他們被呈現在網狀的數字表中，依據反射在數字上的不同的顏色來褪色信息。

Professor David Walt, the study’s head author and a chemist at Tufts University, told Bloomberg: ‘It’s another layer of protection, a way of sending secure messages, preventing counterfeiting and providing authentication.

這項研究的主要負責人，這位塔夫斯大學的化學家大衛·瓦特教授，告訴彭博社說：“這其實是另一種意義上的保護，一種安全的傳遞信息的方式，能夠防止僞造併爲證明提供證據。”

The message Professor Walt’s team wrote was ‘this is a bioencoded message from the Walt lab at Tufts university 2011’.

瓦特教授的團隊所捕捉到的信息是“這是2011年從塔夫斯大學瓦特教授的實驗室中的出的結論”。

He explained that messages sent back and forth between companies would be incredibly difficult to decipher, as unique growth chemicals could be used, and very hard to find as the bacteria are microscopic.

他解釋說，這個信息被還回來，對於公司來說，實在是太難破譯了。要不是由於化學科技的應用，估計在顯微鏡下很難找到這種細菌的。

He told MailOnline: 'Bacteria could be printed on the packaging in some pre-determined location. When the product arrives at its destination, someone would take the packaging material, print it on an agar plate [a petri dish] and then grow the bacteria under a pre-arranged growth condition.'

他告訴郵報在線說：“細菌在某些預設的包裝位置，是可以被發現的。當貨物到達某一目的地的時候，某些人會打開包裝材料，並將它放到一個瓊脂板上，然後讓細菌在一個提前安排好的環境中生長。”

The recipient then shines a light on the bacteria to reveal the message.

然後那些容器會被放到光束下面來獲取信息。

Professor Walt added: 'Both the location and the growth medium would be unknown to anyone except the shipper and receiver. The bacteria are invisible so they would be impossible to find.

瓦特教授接着說：“除了運輸單位和接收單位，位置以及整個細菌生長的媒介都是未知的。我們根本是不可能找到他們的。”

'This approach would likely be suitable for high-valued products, such as a drugs shipment for a pharmaceutical company.

“這個方法對那些昂貴的東西是很合適的，例如爲藥品公司運送藥品。”

When this experiment will germinate into practice, however, is too early to say.

現在討論什麼時候這個實驗能夠付諸實踐實在是有點早。

Professor Walt said: ‘We need to make some additional advances with respect to more colours, different “ciphers” and demonstrate long term storage before one could consider such an application.’

瓦特教授還說，“我們需要更多的顏色來說明密碼，並且需要長時間的維持信息的儲存。”