Researchers with the Institute of Oceanology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IOCAS) have found a gene that could enhance P. tricornutum’s status in the aquaculture industry and boost its utility as a biofuel. Though the diatom shows great potential for both sectors, producers cannot cultivate it at a large scale because it can be easily contaminated by algivorous zooplankton. Researchers have been using genetic techniques to overcome this challenge.