Scientists have finally succeeded in finding another source in producing biofuel other than its source from corn and soybeans. They target algae to produce biofuel and even doubled the number of oil the algae could generate.
The discovery was described in the journal Nature Biotechnology. It was led by researchers from the J. Craig Venter Institute. They have spent eight years on examining and operating the genomes of various species of algae. Finally, they succeeded in producing biofuels out of algae.
In the research, the scientists identified the exact gene that controlled the amount of oil the algae produced. They discovered it by starving the algae of nitrogen that triggered them to generate more oil. Then, finally, they determined the actual gene, which is a regulator known as ZNCys.
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