Light-powered bacteria become living chemical factories

Key Points

• These light-powered bacteria can convert light into various valuable chemicals, enhancing biochemical processes.
• In laboratory tests, engineered strains produced significant yields of biochemicals within a short period.
• Analysis of metabolic pathways allows insight into how bacteria use light for energy and chemical production.
• Harnessing this technology may enable sustainable production systems, but scalability and practical applications remain to be addressed.