vue - Producing sugar from photosynthetic bacteria

Researchers at Harvard's Wyss Institute have engineered photosynthetic bacteria to produce simple sugars and lactic acid, an innovation that could lead to new, environmentally friendly methods for producing commodity chemicals in bulk. Because the production methods use photosynthesis -- the process by which living things are assembled using only CO2 and sunlight -- the cost of making sugars, lactic acid, and other compounds could be significantly lower than traditional methods. In this interview, Jeffrey Way, PhD, discusses the technology and its potential. Learn more at http://wyss.harvard.edu/viewpressrelease/37