Typically, fundamental science research results are many steps away from being ready for immediate public release, but every once in a while, an opportunity arises early. An example of this is a team from the joint bioenergy Research Institute of the United States Department of Energy, Jbei. Using an out of the box approach, the team developed indigoidine, an environmentally friendly platform for the production of blue pigments. Like a dye used in synthetic indigo all over the world to color denim and many other objects, the bright saturated tones are similar.