Jay Keasling learned some important lessons growing up on a farm in Nebraska: that agriculture is hard work, that money isn't everything, that pigs don't appreciate either and that he really didn't appreciate them. "I wasn't so fond of pigs," he admits.
The porcine problem helped steer him off the farm and toward a degree in biology and chemistry. His farm-raised appetite for work--100-hour weeks are de rigueur--has led to rapid progress in his field. And his satisfaction with an academic salary means he prefers to use his innovations to help the poor rather than line his pockets.
Keasling, 41, has...
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