Neural networks trained on genetic text can 'read' the DNA of bacteria. Scientists took the powerful Evo 2 model and added a tiny, tunable sensor, a genetic probe, without touching the model itself. The probe picks up signals associated with dangerous genes, like antibiotic resistance. Similar to spectroscopy, a method of analyzing substances by their characteristic glow, the probe recognizes the model's specific 'response' to a genetic sequence.

This approach turned out to be surprisingly accurate. Even a simple probe gives high results, and with the addition of an attention mechanism, accuracy reaches almost 0.99—it can distinguish subtypes of drug resistance. And, like a metal detector, it handles fragments of DNA. This allows cheap and fast testing of hospital wastewater and hidden sewer threats, warning of infection outbreaks before symptoms appear in people.