“Mechanically Driven Bacteria‐Based Crack Detection” led by PhD candidate Ellen van Wijngaarden is now published in RSC Materials Advances! In a collaborative work with the Giometto, Brito, and Bouklas labs at Cornell, we created a biohybrid coating that embeds bacterial spores into a polymer layer, enabling the material to sense and respond to damage for crack detection and mitigation. The system responds directly to mechanical damage across different materials and loading conditions, showing how living components can transform traditionally inert structures into responsive materials, to improve safety and reduce material waste. This work highlights the potential for engineered living materials for earlier damage detection for longer-lasting and responsive infrastructure.