“Let’s get bacteria to produce oil”

Prof. Yosi Shacham-Diamand, head of the Scojen Institute for Synthetic Biology at Reichman University, begins each morning by greeting the plants in his laboratory. "I can ask a plant, 'How are you? Did you sleep well? Are you thirsty? Has anyone been bothering you? " he tells "Globes," and he does this using sensor chips that integrate chemical compounds, antibodies, and even living cells.