Former NASA Biologist Creates Glow-In-The-Dark Beer Kit

Science-loving home brewers can take a stab at synthetic biology and genetic design with the recent debut of a glow-in-the-dark beer kit by THE ODIN, a science and genetic engineering company that sells home kits.

Josiah Zayner, a former synthetic biologist at NASA and founder of THE ODIN, created the company to bring science into people's everyday lives. "We want to give people the ability to reach into their imagination and bring things into existence using genetic design" he told Gizmodo.

The $199 kit allows home brewers to genetically engineer fluorescent yeast by inserting a protein found in jellyfish, the Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP), according to the company website. When the finished product is exposed to a black light, it emits a neon-green glow.

The Food and Drug Administration has questioned whether the fluorescent jellyfish protein is classified as a color additive that has not been approved, Gizmodo reported. However, Zayner claims the protein isn't exactly a color and said he would continue to sell the kits until the government says otherwise.