However, there are some obstacles in applying this approach to other mechanisms. "The biggest challenge to this system is that you first of all have to have a sensor available. There is not always a sensor available," Zhang said, explaining that a specific regulation mechanism might not exist in nature, so scientists would have to engineer an artificial one, which is no small task.

In the future, energy companies could simply skim biofuels from vats of bacteria engineered with DSRS without all of the processing currently needed. Carothers said the team will now work on improving the sensor's efficiency and try to implement it in pathways for other useful molecules.

Reprinted from Climatewire with permission from Environment & Energy Publishing, LLC. www.eenews.net, 202-628-6500

1 Comments

1. 1. alan6302 11:03 AM 4/11/12

   I bet the the poop burgers that was recently announced will have a major impact during the coming world famine. It will save a lot of fuel consumption and relates to this topic.

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