People on low-fat diets generally think they can eat unlimited vegetables because plants are relatively low in fats. Yet plants actually produce lipids in abundance. In addition to providing us with calories, these lipids are the basis for soaps, lotions, lubricants, biodiesel and other fuel, insecticides, plastics, and paints.

Lipids have typically been difficult to study since they are not as stable in the lab as other, more popular biomolecules like proteins and DNA. But recent technical advances have started to reveal the breadth of their current and potential uses. This increased usefulness will only boost our demand for plant-based lipids.

Many commercially desirable lipids are produced by plants that are challenging to cultivate. Yet through the miracle of genetic modification, some of these lipids can now be generated in the seeds and leaves of domesticated crop species. Recently, a review of what has been accomplished was published in Science.