The prevalent hope in the scientific community is that advances in synthetic biology will lead to the production of cells that can be grown to repair or control human-caused damage to the world’s ecology. The creation of new fuels that will diminish our dependence on fossil fuels and reduce carbon emissions is one of the driving forces behind this technology. Additionally, the same research is already taking us down the path of creating an organic means to clean up oil spills, producing specialized, high-tech fabrics, and supporting more economic methods of manufacturing pharmaceuticals.