In The Press

UCSB to lead $22M NSF-funded center on exceptional microbes

A six-year, $22 million National Science Foundation grant to establish the first “biofoundry"

Scientists will eliminate bottlenecks to breakthroughs with a newly acquired synthetic biology robotics system

Newly acquired synthetic biology robotics system

Zombie Fungus from “The Last of Us” Spurs Increased Interest in Fungal Research

EMSL researchers studying ways to use fungi for scientific advancements

JGIota Interview

A Biofuel Breakthrough in Anaerobic Fungi with Michelle O'Malley and Tom Lankiewicz

A Biofuel Breakthrough, Courtesy of Fungi

Researchers prove that tough, woody lignin can be broken down

Researchers prove that tough, woody lignin can be broken down in an anaerobic environment

It’s a tough job, but someone’s got to do it

Busting the Unbreakable Lignin

New evidence shows anaerobic fungi can degrade the hardiest of plant components

Hands of a person working in a fume hood

Risk Yields Reward

Chemical engineer Michelle O’Malley again recognized for her highly innovative research

Natural Products in Unexpected Places

Michelle O’Malley’s lab group discovers that anaerobic fungi in the guts of herbivores that produce the unique building blocks of antibiotics

Talk with Dr Michelle O'Malley, UCSB Professor

Scott, Lawton and Rylie from ChemTalk talk to Dr. Michelle O'Malley about her research on biomaterials, her education, chemistry and what it's like to be a professor at the university of Santa Barbara.

Gut Fungi: Unexpected Source of Novel Chemicals

Fungi from herbivore poop make surprisingly complex compounds — an energetically expensive feat thought to be too costly for them.

How Goat Poop Illuminates the Future of Biotechnology

The plant nibblers can teach us a thing or two about bioprocessing.

Wonder Fungi

From biofuels and other commodity chemicals to methane production, genomic study peers into the mysteries of a goat’s gut

Graphic of a river alongside plate images

Fluoride to the Rescue?

In Michelle O’Malley’s lab, a simple approach suggests a big leap forward in addressing the challenge of antibiotic-resistant bacteria

Photo of Michelle holding a tube of fungi

Michelle O’Malley seeks greener chemistry through elusive fungi

Residents of herbivore bellies could make agricultural leftovers into valuable chemicals

Betting on Waste

Engineering professor Michelle O'Malley receives DOE award to image microbial processes that could lead to advanced biofuels

Graphic of the break down of ligin in a goat's stomach

Turning Waste into Energy

Cows and other large herbivores that evolved to graze on grasses and other woody forage have the ability to “unlock” the energy contained in plant cellulose and convert it to sugar. By understanding and cultivating the microbes that these animals have in their digestive systems, similar processes could be used to create fuels and chemicals from agricultural waste rather than from fossil fuels.

A few researchers in lab coat inside a goat pen

A Dung Detective Hunts For Rare Microbes

In this segment, she talks with Ira about the bacterial and fungal communities within poop, and how microbes, just like people, form unique bonds with each other—becoming friends, enemies, and even “frenemies.”

Scientists Are Learning Exciting New Things From Shitholes

The many recent discoveries thanks to the scientists who put up with a bunch of crap.

How Fungal Enzymes Break Down Plant Cell Walls

Lignocellulose-degrading enzyme complexes could improve biofuel production.

Michelle O’Malley, University of California Santa Barbara – Biofuels

Is there a biofuel alternative on the way?

Fungal enzymes team up to more efficiently break down cellulose

“There are protein complexes in bacteria called cellulosomes that pack together the enzymes to break down plant biomass. The idea is that these clusters are better at attacking biomass because they are keeping the different enzymes in place with plugs called dockerins so they work more efficiently. This has been detailed in bacteria for more than 20 years, but now seen for the first time in fungi.”

From Guts to Glory?

"I’m very proud of the fact that our research tries to balance efforts in discovery and engineering. And working on unusual microbes offers a route to do that.”

What Biofuel Production Can Learn from the Zoo: Michelle A. O’Malley

PECASE recipient discovers gut enzymes that break woody plants into biofuel building blocks.

Can Goat Poop Overpower Fossil Fuels?

It turns out that the same fungi that live in the guts of goats, horses and sheep create the very enzymes we need to degrade the crude plant material necessary to produce the billions of barrels of biofuels we need to replace gasoline and diesel as our fuel for cars and trucks.

Gut feeling: How animals can transform renewables

Fungi from the guts of animals such as goats, sheep and horses could transform renewable energy, according to the latest research.

Biofuel From Fungi: Barnyard Poop Has Potential To Be Broken Down and Turned Into Energy

"Nature has engineered these fungi to have what seems to be the world's largest repertoire of enzymes that break down biomass."

Fungi from goats' guts could lead to better biofuels

The legendary abilities of goats and sheep to digest a wide range of inedible materials could help scientists produce cheaper biofuels.

Biofuel tech straight from the farm

Anaerobic gut fungi perform as well as the best fungi engineered by industry in their ability to convert plant material into sugars that are easily transformed into fuel and other products, report scientists.

Engineering A New Chemical Communication System Into Bacteria

Synthetic Biology: Putting a synthetic quorum-sensing system into gram-positive bacteria could help improve industrial enzyme production

At a Crossroads, Biofuels Seek a New Path Forward

New microbes and new techniques show promise for advanced biofuels, but the industry is still years away from real progress.

Day 120: Just horsing around

But today's blog illustrates that the ubiquitous chemical engineer operates even in the equine world - a chemical engineer has found fungi in the intestinal tracts and faeces of horses which could help produce biofuels from non-food plants.

Biofuel: What's New To Make You Go VROOOM!

The use of germs to produce biofuels has been in exploration since the mid-1990s, but finding the right organisms is a difficult task. The horse rumen has a vast array of environmental bacteria and ...something else. Could this be the treasure trove scientists are looking for?

The Secret to Biofuels Might Be Hidden in Poop

A fungus that grows on manure and breaks down the leftover plant material could be a key clue for biofuel researchers

Enzymes from horse feces could hold secrets to streamlining biofuel production

Stepping into unexplored territory in efforts to use corn stalks, grass and other non-food plants to make biofuels, scientists today described the discovery of a potential treasure-trove of candidate enzymes in fungi thriving in the feces and intestinal tracts of horses.

Horse manure yields secret to ethanol fuel

Michelle O’Malley knows good horse poop when she sees it. While at MIT, the chemical engineer scooped up some manure from Finn, a grass-fed horse at a sustainable farm in Concord, Mass.

We Have Been

Featured In...

UCSB to lead $22M NSF-funded center on exceptional microbes

Scientists will eliminate bottlenecks to breakthroughs with a newly acquired synthetic biology robotics system

Zombie Fungus from “The Last of Us” Spurs Increased Interest in Fungal Research

JGIota Interview

A Biofuel Breakthrough, Courtesy of Fungi

Researchers prove that tough, woody lignin can be broken down in an anaerobic environment

Busting the Unbreakable Lignin

Risk Yields Reward

Natural Products in Unexpected Places

Talk with Dr Michelle O'Malley, UCSB Professor

Gut Fungi: Unexpected Source of Novel Chemicals

How Goat Poop Illuminates the Future of Biotechnology

Wonder Fungi

Fluoride to the Rescue?

Michelle O’Malley seeks greener chemistry through elusive fungi

Betting on Waste

Turning Waste into Energy

A Dung Detective Hunts For Rare Microbes

Scientists Are Learning Exciting New Things From Shitholes

How Fungal Enzymes Break Down Plant Cell Walls

Michelle O’Malley, University of California Santa Barbara – Biofuels

Fungal enzymes team up to more efficiently break down cellulose

From Guts to Glory?

What Biofuel Production Can Learn from the Zoo: Michelle A. O’Malley

Can Goat Poop Overpower Fossil Fuels?

Gut feeling: How animals can transform renewables

Biofuel From Fungi: Barnyard Poop Has Potential To Be Broken Down and Turned Into Energy

Fungi from goats' guts could lead to better biofuels

Biofuel tech straight from the farm

Engineering A New Chemical Communication System Into Bacteria

At a Crossroads, Biofuels Seek a New Path Forward

Day 120: Just horsing around

Biofuel: What's New To Make You Go VROOOM!

The Secret to Biofuels Might Be Hidden in Poop

Enzymes from horse feces could hold secrets to streamlining biofuel production

Horse manure yields secret to ethanol fuel

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