Venter, who has also joined the tour, jumps into the conversation. “Paul’s being modest. He actually found a way to cause algae cells to voluntarily secrete their collected lipids, turning them into micromanufacturing plants.” Roessler picks up the explanation. “In theory, once perfected, we could run this process continuously and just harvest the oil. The cells just keep cranking it out. This way you don’t have to harvest all the cells; instead just scoop up the oils they excrete.”
