Move Over E.Coli: DARPA’s Quest for Next-Gen Bugs

Yeast and E. coli are the workhorses of synthetic biology, reprogrammed and reinvented to manufacture medicine and chemicals. But Alicia Jackson, deputy director of DARPA’s Biological Technologies Office, says it’s time to investigate the potential of all sorts of bugs, like Yarrowia lipolytica—which she says could be used to pump out novel polymers. Those synthetic biology tricks could result in all sorts of advantages for the military, she says, like more durable tires, or fuel that doesn’t freeze.