Dr. Chris Hittinger, Asst Prof of Genetics, Univ of Wisconsin- Madison presents: Yeast genome diversity and how to tap it. “Yeasts are remarkably diverse: genetically, metabolically, and ecologically. Despite this wealth of biodiversity, other than the model yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, most species remain only minimally characterized. Here we use genome sequence analysis to retrace their evolution, especially in several newly discovered wild species that have been domesticated in the fermented beverage industries. We also show how novel yeast lineages can be exploited for basic and applied research."