Decoy molecules trick soil bacteria into attacking persistent pollutants without genetic engineering

In a study published in the Journal of Materials Chemistry A, Nagoya University researchers demonstrated that native soil bacteria, when treated with decoy molecules, can degrade non-native compounds, including persistent pollutants such as dioxins, without genetic modification. "In other words, we can effectively give these bacteria capabilities they do not naturally have, while keeping them in their original state," said Professor Osami Shoji, the study's lead author.