Zombie bacteria as environmental bioreactors

A recently published study found that certain bacteria, after being lysed by phage activation, can continue to synthesize folded DNA structures (G‑quadruplexes) inside biofilms and catalyze chemical reactions. Researchers suggest this post‑mortem DNA production could be hijacked to perform tasks such as targeted wastewater cleanup by programming the catalytic sequences produced in sewer biofilms. — If harnessed at scale, this mechanism could create a new class of environmental biotechnologies — and new regulatory, ecological and biosecurity challenges — because engineered DNA activity would persist in public infrastructure (e.g., sewers, wastewater treatment).