When viewed under the microscope, its spores resemble mini-Saturns," Ian Roberts, curator at the National Collection of Yeast Cultures, Institute of Food Research in the U.K., told LiveScience.
Roberts and his colleagues have been hunting for yeast that can , such as ethanol, though they aren't yet sure whether this new ringed yeast is a candidate. []
"We simply don’t know at this stage," Roberts said. "What we do know is that the discovery of each hitherto unknown species expands the gene pool from which novel characteristics relevant to bioenergy production can be selected."
The team still has approximately 300 to 400 yeasts to sift through and characterize that they collected from insects and plants in Ecuador. The findings, they say, highlight the importance of such biodiversity-rich regions for more than their iconic animals and plants, but also for these lesser-known microbes that could be used in .
The Saturn yeast is described online in the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology.
留言列表
