Britain's latest bid to embrace the futuristic science of synthetic biology will be revealed by the government on Thursday when it announces plans to make new strains of brewer's yeast.

Researchers will receive nearly £1m to create a synthetic chromosome for the single-celled organism that since Neolithic times has been exploited for its ability to turn sugar into alcohol.

The scientists are joining an international effort to build the world's first synthetic yeast genome from scratch, using groundbreaking techniques that are set to transform the field of biology.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/20...hetic-organism