Accidental discovery by UW-Madison undergrad leads to yeast breakthrough

In Wisconsin, a few grams of bark brought back to the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the lab of genetics professor Chris Hittinger by a recent undergraduate were home to a previously unknown strain of yeast, named Yamadazyma laniorum “in honor of the hardworking people of the historic meat packing industry of Green Bay, Wisconsin,” according to his recent study published in the journal FEMS Yeast Research.

That’s “lanorium” from the Latin for “pertaining to butchers,” which is as close as you get to naming a yeast for the Green Bay Packers while maintaining some scientific detachment and avoiding any trademark implications.