de novo protein with most of the core filled with valine residues (green). Ten hydrophobic residues were mutated to smaller valine residues. This de Credit: NINS/IMS Bioengineers have found why proteins that are designed from scratch tend to be more tolerant to high temperatures than proteins found in nature. Natural proteins with high 'thermostability' are prized for their wide range of applications, from baking and paper-making to chemical production. Efforts to enhance protein thermostability--and to discover the principles behind this--is one of the hottest topics in biotech. The latest discoveries, described in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on November 23, 2020, open up the possibility of lab-made proteins with even better industrial applicability.