Mercury, a toxic heavy metal, can be a contaminant in drinking water worldwide. Current methods utilized to detect and eliminate mercury contamination are not practical for detecting and  removing it from large bodies of water and are costly. However, biosensors, bioreporters, and bioremediation would be ideal for identifying mercury contamination and removing it inexpensively. With that in mind,  our team wants to contribute to the first step in this process, developing a cost-effective mercury biosensor and bioreporter.