Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) scientists in the United States are trying to use the tools of synthetic biology to engineer a soil-dwelling bacterium with an ability to utilize a wide variety of feedstocks and convert them to the desired biofuel. The soil-dwelling bacterium belongs to the genus, Rhodococcus. This microorganism is known to utilize a wide variety of toxic compounds, and is also related to a type that is known to cause tuberculosis. Studies on the basic biology and chemistry related to the organism have been made, and the next step is to determine strategies to improve yields. The Cleantech website report also mentions that the scientists have created a strain of the bacteria which can utilize both glucose and xylose (the main sugars after the pretreatment and saccharification of lignocellulosic biomass) into ethanol..