Algae can produce up to 700% more compounds when tricked to stay awake, according to new research conducted by Vanderbilt University.
The blue-green algae was genetically modified to produce several different biomolecules, and researchers stopped the algae’s biological clocks in their daylight setting, finding their production increased sevenfold.
The compounds can be used to produce anti-cancer drugs and cosmetics, to bioplastics, biofuels, and neutraceuticals, and the increase in bioclock technology over the last ten years could reap significant economic benefits.
Read more at Current Biology