Researchers at the National University of Singapore (NUS) have engineered a single yeast strain that can detect and respond independently to red and blue light. The NUS team’s system creates two separate communication channels: red light controls one set of genes, while blue light controls another. In yeast, y-iLight binds to specific DNA sequences after exposure to red light, activating nearby genes. In one demonstration, the cells first produced luteolin under blue light and were then exposed to red light, which triggered aggregation. Subject of Research: Experimental study of engineered yeast, optogenetics, gene expression, metabolic pathways and cellular behaviour.