Bacteria-powered artificial tongue can taste-test alcohol for additives

A tiny device home to genetically modified bacteria may soon function like an artificial tongue that rapidly analyzes an alcoholic drink's chemical composition. Using existing biological nanopore technology that underpins DNA sequencing, these new tools could even one day test whether or not a beverage is contaminated with unwanted additives, or even deadly toxins. Current nanopore technology relies on modified bacterium, usually Mycobacterium smegmatis, to perform microscopic chemical assessments. To accomplish this, experts first create extremely tiny holes only a few nanometers wide in the bacteria's cell membrane. Researchers then mix the altered organisms into a liquid before applying a small electrical charge to the solution.