All cells sense and respond to physical and chemical cues in their environments. They accomplish this through signal transduction systems—networks of interacting proteins that detect and interpret specific input signals and control appropriate cellular responses. In bacteria, these systems are found in remarkable numbers within individual organisms and across different bacterial species. They play a central role in regulating basic aspects of microbial physiology and mediate responses to diverse environmental signals. I will describe work in which we have explored the organization and properties of these networks in the particularly well studied and genetically tractable organism Escherichia coli.

Topological quantum computing involves using non-Abelian Majorana zero modes for carrying out error-free fault-tolerant quantum computing. This is the preferred quantum computing platform of Microsoft. I will discuss the current status of the search for non-Abelian Majorana zero modes in solid state systems, discussing both theory and experiment. I will also provide my personal prognosis on what the future holds for the subject.

TBA