Fighting deepfakes, and using bacteria to deliver medicine inside the body

This episode of the Science Magazine Podcast explores two cutting-edge scientific frontiers: the escalating threat of AI-generated deepfakes and the innovative use of engineered bacteria for targeted medical treatments. Host Sarah Crespi begins with a segment on digital forensics expert Hany Farid, who is at the forefront of detecting manipulated media. Farid explains how AI-generated videos often fail in physical realism—such as incorrect sound-to-video timing, implausible physics, and inconsistent shadows—making them detectable through rigorous analysis. Despite the growing volume of fake content, he remains concerned about the societal erosion of trust in visual evidence and the difficulty of scaling human verification. The episode then shifts to a conversation with Tetsuhiro Harimoto, a researcher developing encapsulated, genetically engineered bacteria that can sense infections and deliver targeted therapies inside the body. His team created a robust, non-brittle hydrogel capsule capable of withstanding the immense mechanical pressure generated by rapidly dividing bacteria. In mouse models, these living implants successfully reduced antibiotic-resistant infections around medical implants and showed promise for future applications in cancer therapy and smart, responsive medical devices. The episode underscores both the urgent need for truth verification in the digital age and the transformative potential of living medicine.