Nature of Business and Basis of Presentation	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2017
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Nature of Business and Basis of Presentation	Nature of Business and Basis of Presentation Yield10 Bioscience, Inc. ("Yield10 Bioscience," "Yield10," or the "Company") was founded as Metabolix, Inc. in 1992 and changed its name in January 2017. Yield10 Bioscience is an agricultural bioscience company focusing on the development of new technologies to enable step-change increases in crop yield to enhance global food security. Yield10 is using two proprietary advanced biotechnology trait gene discovery platforms to improve fundamental crop yield through enhanced photosynthetic carbon capture and increased carbon utilization efficiency to increase seed yield. These platforms are based on the principle that plants which capture and utilize carbon more efficiently will enable more robust crops capable of increased seed yield. Yield10 is working to translate and demonstrate the commercial value of novel yield trait genes it has identified in major crops and to identify additional genome editing targets for improved crop performance in several key food and feed crops, including canola, soybean, rice and corn. Yield10 Bioscience is headquartered in Woburn, Massachusetts and has an additional agricultural science facility with greenhouses located in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared on a basis which assumes that the Company will continue as a going concern and which contemplates the realization of assets and satisfaction of liabilities and commitments in the normal course of business. With the exception of 2012, when the Company recognized $38,885 of deferred revenue from a terminated joint venture, the Company has recorded losses since its initial founding, including its fiscal year ending December 31, 2017. During 2016, the Company completed a strategic restructuring under which Yield10 Bioscience became its core business. In connection with the restructuring, the Company discontinued its pilot biopolymer production and other biopolymer operations, sold substantially all of its biopolymer assets to CJ CheilJedang Corporation ("CJ") and reduced staffing levels to approximately twenty full-time employees in order to focus on crop science activities and significantly reduce the Company's cash burn rate used in operations. During 2016, the Company recorded restructuring charges of $3,513 and as of December 31, 2017, restructuring obligations of $489 remain outstanding with payment due dates through May 2018. As of December 31, 2017, the Company held unrestricted cash and cash equivalents of $14,487. The Company follows the guidance of ASU 2014-15, Presentation of Financial Statements-Going Concern (Subtopic 205-40) in order to determine whether there is substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern for one year after the date its financial statements are issued. Based on its cash forecast, management has determined that the Company's present capital resources are sufficient to fund its planned operations for at least the next twelve month period from the date that these financial statements are issued. If the Company issues equity or debt securities to raise additional funds, (i) the Company may incur fees associated with such issuance, (ii) its existing stockholders may experience dilution from the issuance of new equity securities, (iii) the Company may incur ongoing interest expense and be required to grant a security interest in Company assets in connection with any debt issuance, and (iv) the new equity or debt securities may have rights, preferences and privileges senior to those of the Company’s existing stockholders. In addition, utilization of the Company’s net operating loss and research and development credit carryforwards may be subject to significant annual limitations under Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 due to ownership changes resulting from equity financing transactions. If the Company raises additional funds through collaboration, licensing or other similar arrangements, it may be necessary to relinquish valuable rights to its potential products or proprietary technologies, or grant licenses on terms that are not favorable to the Company.

Nature of Business and Basis of Presentation

Yield10 Bioscience, Inc. ("Yield10 Bioscience," "Yield10," or the "Company") was founded as Metabolix, Inc. in 1992 and changed its name in January 2017. Yield10 Bioscience is an agricultural bioscience company focusing on the development of new technologies to enable step-change increases in crop yield to enhance global food security. Yield10 is using two proprietary advanced biotechnology trait gene discovery platforms to improve fundamental crop yield through enhanced photosynthetic carbon capture and increased carbon utilization efficiency to increase seed yield. These platforms are based on the principle that plants which capture and utilize carbon more efficiently will enable more robust crops capable of increased seed yield. Yield10 is working to translate and demonstrate the commercial value of novel yield trait genes it has identified in major crops and to identify additional genome editing targets for improved crop performance in several key food and feed crops, including canola, soybean, rice and corn. Yield10 Bioscience is headquartered in Woburn, Massachusetts and has an additional agricultural science facility with greenhouses located in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.

The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared on a basis which assumes that the Company will continue as a going concern and which contemplates the realization of assets and satisfaction of liabilities and commitments in the normal course of business. With the exception of 2012, when the Company recognized $38,885 of deferred revenue from a terminated joint venture, the Company has recorded losses since its initial founding, including its fiscal year ending December 31, 2017. During 2016, the Company completed a strategic restructuring under which Yield10 Bioscience became its core business. In connection with the restructuring, the Company discontinued its pilot biopolymer production and other biopolymer operations, sold substantially all of its biopolymer assets to CJ CheilJedang Corporation ("CJ") and reduced staffing levels to approximately twenty full-time employees in order to focus on crop science activities and significantly reduce the Company's cash burn rate used in operations. During 2016, the Company recorded restructuring charges of $3,513 and as of December 31, 2017, restructuring obligations of $489 remain outstanding with payment due dates through May 2018.

As of December 31, 2017, the Company held unrestricted cash and cash equivalents of $14,487. The Company follows the guidance of ASU 2014-15, Presentation of Financial Statements-Going Concern (Subtopic 205-40) in order to determine whether there is substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern for one year after the date its financial statements are issued. Based on its cash forecast, management has determined that the Company's present capital resources are sufficient to fund its planned operations for at least the next twelve month period from the date that these financial statements are issued.

If the Company issues equity or debt securities to raise additional funds, (i) the Company may incur fees associated with such issuance, (ii) its existing stockholders may experience dilution from the issuance of new equity securities, (iii) the

Company may incur ongoing interest expense and be required to grant a security interest in Company assets in connection with any debt issuance, and (iv) the new equity or debt securities may have rights, preferences and privileges senior to those of the Company’s existing stockholders. In addition, utilization of the Company’s net operating loss and research and development credit carryforwards may be subject to significant annual limitations under Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 due to ownership changes resulting from equity financing transactions. If the Company raises additional funds through collaboration, licensing or other similar arrangements, it may be necessary to relinquish valuable rights to its potential products or proprietary technologies, or grant licenses on terms that are not favorable to the Company.