Energy from E. coli

Jay Keasling watches as 700 billion Escherichia coli swish around inside a benchtop bioreactor in the brand-spanking new fermentation room of the Joint BioEnergy Institute in Emeryville, Calif. Seven copper pipes line the wall with a ready supply of nitrogen, oxygen, water, and other essentials, while an automated controller-looking like a souped-up frozen yogurt machine-regulates the temperature, pH, and oxygenation of the cloudy solution brewing within this one liter tank. This isn't just any E. coli multiplying inside, Keasling says proudly, "This is a strain we engineered and now it's producing biodiesel."