Yeast research is entering into a new period of scholarship, with new
scientific tools, new questions to ask, and new issues to consider. The
politics of emerging and critical technology can no longer be separated
from the pursuit of basic science in fields, such as synthetic biology
and engineering biology. Given the intensifying race for technological
leadership, yeast research is likely to attract significant investment
from government, and that it offers huge opportunities to the curious
minded from a basic research standpoint. This article provides an
overview of new directions in yeast research, and places these trends in
their geopolitical context. At the highest level, yeast research is
situated within the ongoing convergence of the life sciences with the
information sciences. This convergent effect is most strongly pronounced
in areas of AI-enabled tools for the life sciences, and the creation of
synthetic genomes, minimal genomes, pan-genomes, neochromosomes and
metagenomes using computer assisted design tools and methodologies.
Synthetic yeast futures encompass basic and applied science questions
that will be of intense interest to government and non-government
funding sources. It is essential for the yeast research community to map
and understand the context of their research in order to ensure their
collaborations turn global challenges into research opportunities.