The first practical applications of synthetic biology may not be so far off. "The real killer app for this field has become bioenergy," Dr. Collins says. Under the stimulus of high gas prices, synthetic biologists are re-engineering microbes to generate the components of natural gas and petroleum. Whether this can be done economically remains to be seen. But one company, LS9 of San Carlos, Calif., says it is close to that goal. Its re-engineered microbe "produces hydrocarbons that look, smell and function" very similarly to those in petroleum, said Stephen del Cardayre, the company's vice president for research.
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