Scientists can make synthetic fats in a factory that mimic the exact structure of natural fats like butter, lard, and coconut oil, and they can make them in big enough amounts to be useful.

Scientists made a process that turns gas into fuel, but now they’re tweaking it to make fake butter or oil that you could eat.

Under hot, watery conditions similar to those deep under the ocean, certain chemical reactions can make oily molecules similar to those found in living things — from very small ones to really big ones, including both plain oils and oils with oxygen in them.