Tootfinder

Cortical Labs, the Australian #biotech company that grew 800,000 human neurons on a chip and taught them to play #Pong in 2022, has answered the internet's oldest hardware question: Can it run #Doom? It can. The c…

🌴 Designer enzyme enables yeast to produce custom fatty acids, reducing need for palm oil
#biotech

Designer enzyme enables yeast to produce custom fatty acids, reducing need for palm oil
Whether they are laundry detergents, mascara, or Christmas chocolate, many everyday products contain fatty acids from palm oil or coconut oil. However, the extraction of these raw materials is associated with massive environmental issues: Rainforests are cleared, habitats for endangered species are destroyed, and traditional farmers lose their livelihoods.

🧼 Natural peptides from cyanobacteria offer eco-friendly solution to marine biofouling
https://phys.org/news/2026-01-natural-peptides-cyanobacteria-eco-friendly.html

Natural peptides from cyanobacteria offer eco-friendly solution to marine biofouling
A new CIIMAR study demonstrates that natural peptides produced by cyanobacteria are capable of replacing toxic biocides that dominate the market for anti-fouling paints used in the maritime industry. The use of these peptides as an active component brings direct benefits to the environment, the blue economy and marine biodiversity.

🏭 Yeast cell factory converts methanol into L-lactate for biodegradable plastics
#biotech

Yeast cell factory converts methanol into L-lactate for biodegradable plastics
Methanol is an ideal feedstock for bio-manufacturing. Converting it into lactate, a monomer for biodegradable plastic, offers a promising strategy for addressing the challenge of white pollution. However, it remains difficult to engineer microbes to produce lactate from methanol due to methanol toxicity and strong competition between product synthesis and cell growth.