NATURE OF BUSINESS AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION	6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2018
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") 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. The Company considers 10-20 percent increases in crop yield to be step-change increases. According to a United Nations report, food production must be increased by over 70 percent in the next 35 years to feed the growing global population, which is expected to increase from 7 billion to more than 9.6 billion by 2050. During that time period, there will be a reduction in available arable land as a result of infrastructure growth and increased pressure on scarce water resources. Harvestable food production per acre and per growing season must be increased to meet this demand. At the same time, in light of the increasing focus on health and wellness, food safety and sustainability in developed countries, the Company anticipates a rise in demand for new varieties of food and food ingredients with improved nutritional properties. Further, concerns about food safety have led to the concept of “seed to plate,” or "farm to fork," with a focus on stringent quality control along the entire value chain. If this concept takes hold with consumers, it is likely to require identity preservation from seed to harvest and involve contract farming. This concept has been initially implemented in agricultural biotechnology, in products such as high oleic canola and soybean. Consumer demand for identity preserved specialty ingredients is also expected to rise, and the Company believes that Yield10's crop yield technologies and crop genome-editing platform could be useful in this emerging field. The foundation technology of Yield10 is based on 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 develop, translate and demonstrate the commercial value of a number of novel yield trait genes from these discovery platforms in major crops. The Company's “Smart Carbon Grid for Crops” metabolic engineering platform has already proven useful in identifying a number of its C3000 series of traits, including the novel yield trait gene C3003 which is being field tested in Camelina and canola in the 2018 growing season. The Company's “T3 Platform,” is based on mining transcription factor network data sets and led to the identification of its C4001, C4002 and C4003 global transcription factor gene traits. These gene traits enabled the Company to engineer switchgrass plants with high rates of photosynthesis and increased biomass yield. The Company is currently repeating its work with C4001 and C4003 in rice and wheat and plans to do so in corn. Yield10 is currently combining the two trait gene discovery platforms to create an integrated system for identifying key plant gene combinations for modification using genome editing to improve crop performance. Advanced metabolic flux analysis forms the foundation of the GRAIN platform the Company is developing based on Yield10 scientists unique 20-plus years of experience successfully deploying advanced metabolic flux analysis to address critical bottlenecks in carbon metabolism. Based on elements of the GRAIN platform that the Company is already working on, it has identified the C4004 through C4027 series of transcription factor genes that are down-regulated in the Company's high-photosynthesis engineered switchgrass plants as well as a number of new gene targets related to the Company's lead C3003 yield trait. New tools for genome-editing continue to develop at a fast pace and be deployed against known targets which for the most part are focused on changing seed or seed oil composition. However, identifying gene combinations remains an unmet need. The Company is currently progressing the development of its lead yield trait genes in canola, soybean, rice and wheat to provide step-change yield solutions for enhancing global food security. Yield10 Bioscience is headquartered in Woburn, Massachusetts and has an additional agricultural science facility with greenhouses in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. On May 17, 2018, the Company entered into an exclusive worldwide license from the University of Missouri to two novel gene technologies to boost oil content in crops. Both technologies are based on significant new discoveries around the function and regulation of ACCase, a key rate-limiting enzyme involved in oil production. The first technology, named C3007, is a gene for a negative controller that inhibits the enzyme activity of Acetyl-CoA carboxylase, or ACCase. The second technology, named C3010, is a gene which, if over-expressed, results in increased activity of ACCase. The Company is required to use reasonable efforts to develop licensed products throughout the licensed field and to introduce licensed products into the commercial market. In that regard, the Company is obligated to fulfill certain research, development and regulatory milestones relating to C3007 and C3010, including completion of multi-site field demonstrations of a crop species in which C3007 and C3010 have been introduced, and filing for regulatory approval of a crop species in which C3007 and C3010 have been introduced within a specified period. During July 2018, the Company also entered into a non-exclusive research license agreement jointly with the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and Pioneer, part of Corteva Agriscience™ Agriculture Division of DowDupont, for the use of CRISPR-Cas9 genome-editing technology for crops. The joint license covers intellectual property consisting of approximately 48 patents and patent applications on CRISPR-Cas9 technology controlled by the Broad Institute and Corteva Agriscience. Under the agreement, the Company has the option to renew the license on an annual basis and the right to convert the research license to a commercial license in the future, subject to conditions specified in the agreement. CRISPR technology is uniquely suited to agricultural applications as it enables precise changes to plant DNA without the use of foreign DNA to incorporate new traits. Plants developed using CRISPR genome-editing technology have the potential to be designated as "non-regulated" by the U.S. Department of Agriculture - Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service ("USDA-APHIS") for development and commercialization in the U.S., which could result in shorter developmental timelines and lower costs associated with commercialization of new traits in the U.S. as compared to regulated crops. The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements are unaudited and have been prepared by Yield10 in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP") and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in the Company’s annual consolidated financial statements have been condensed or omitted. The year-end condensed consolidated balance sheet data was derived from audited financial statements, but does not include all disclosures required by GAAP. The condensed consolidated financial statements, in the opinion of management, reflect all adjustments (consisting only of normal recurring adjustments) necessary for a fair statement of the financial position and results of operations for the interim periods ended June 30, 2018 and June 30, 2017. The results of operations for the interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results of operations to be expected for any future period or the entire fiscal year. These interim consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2017, which are contained in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 12, 2018. As of June 30, 2018, the Company held unrestricted cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments of $9,654. The Company follows the guidance of ASC Topic 205-40, Presentation of Financial Statements-Going Concern, 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 current cash forecast, management expects that the Company's present capital resources will be sufficient to fund its planned operations and meet its obligations into the third quarter of 2019. This forecast of cash resources is forward-looking information that involves risks and uncertainties, and the actual amount of expenses could vary materially and adversely as a result of a number of factors. The Company has evaluated the guidance of ASC Topic 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. The Company's ability to continue operations after its current cash resources are exhausted depends on its ability to obtain additional financing through, among other sources, public or private equity financing, secured or unsecured debt financing, equity or debt bridge financing, warrant holders' ability and willingness to exercise the Company's outstanding warrants, additional government grant or collaborative arrangements with third parties, as to which no assurance can be given. Management does not know whether additional financing will be available on terms favorable or acceptable to the Company when needed, if at all. If adequate additional funds are not available when required or if the Company is unsuccessful in entering into collaborative arrangements for further research, management may be forced to curtail the Company's research efforts, explore strategic alternatives and/or wind down its operations and pursue options for liquidating its remaining assets, including intellectual property and equipment. Based on its cash forecast, management has determined that the Company's present capital resources are unlikely to be sufficient to fund its planned operations for the twelve months from the date that the financial statements are issued, which raises substantial doubt about the Company's ability to continue as a going concern. 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") 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. The Company considers 10-20 percent increases in crop yield to be step-change increases. According to a United Nations report, food production must be increased by over 70 percent in the next 35 years to feed the growing global population, which is expected to increase from 7 billion to more than 9.6 billion by 2050. During that time period, there will be a reduction in available arable land as a result of infrastructure growth and increased pressure on scarce water resources. Harvestable food production per acre and per growing season must be increased to meet this demand. At the same time, in light of the increasing focus on health and wellness, food safety and sustainability in developed countries, the Company anticipates a rise in demand for new varieties of food and food ingredients with improved nutritional properties. Further, concerns about food safety have led to the concept of “seed to plate,” or "farm to fork," with a focus on stringent quality control along the entire value chain. If this concept takes hold with consumers, it is likely to require identity preservation from seed to harvest and involve contract farming. This concept has been initially implemented in agricultural biotechnology, in products such as high oleic canola and soybean. Consumer demand for identity preserved specialty ingredients is also expected to rise, and the Company believes that Yield10's crop yield technologies and crop genome-editing platform could be useful in this emerging field.

The foundation technology of Yield10 is based on 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 develop, translate and demonstrate the commercial value of a number of novel yield trait genes from these discovery platforms in major crops. The Company's “Smart Carbon Grid for Crops” metabolic engineering platform has already proven useful in identifying a number of its C3000 series of traits, including the novel yield trait gene C3003 which is being field tested in Camelina and canola in the 2018 growing season. The Company's “T3 Platform,” is based on mining transcription factor network data sets and led to the identification of its C4001, C4002 and C4003 global transcription factor gene traits. These gene traits enabled the Company to engineer switchgrass plants with high rates of photosynthesis and increased biomass yield. The Company is currently repeating its work with C4001 and C4003 in rice and wheat and plans to do so in corn.

Yield10 is currently combining the two trait gene discovery platforms to create an integrated system for identifying key plant gene combinations for modification using genome editing to improve crop performance. Advanced metabolic flux analysis forms the foundation of the GRAIN platform the Company is developing based on Yield10 scientists unique 20-plus years of experience successfully deploying advanced metabolic flux analysis to address critical bottlenecks in carbon metabolism. Based on elements of the GRAIN platform that the Company is already working on, it has identified the C4004 through C4027 series of transcription factor genes that are down-regulated in the Company's high-photosynthesis engineered switchgrass plants as well as a number of new gene targets related to the Company's lead C3003 yield trait. New tools for genome-editing continue to develop at a fast pace and be deployed against known targets which for the most part are focused on changing seed or seed oil composition. However, identifying gene combinations remains an unmet need.

The Company is currently progressing the development of its lead yield trait genes in canola, soybean, rice and wheat to provide step-change yield solutions for enhancing global food security. Yield10 Bioscience is headquartered in Woburn, Massachusetts and has an additional agricultural science facility with greenhouses in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.

On May 17, 2018, the Company entered into an exclusive worldwide license from the University of Missouri to two novel gene technologies to boost oil content in crops. Both technologies are based on significant new discoveries around the function and regulation of ACCase, a key rate-limiting enzyme involved in oil production. The first technology, named C3007, is a gene for a negative controller that inhibits the enzyme activity of Acetyl-CoA carboxylase, or ACCase. The second technology, named C3010, is a gene which, if over-expressed, results in increased activity of ACCase. The Company is required to use reasonable efforts to develop licensed products throughout the licensed field and to introduce licensed products into the commercial market. In that regard, the Company is obligated to fulfill certain research, development and regulatory milestones relating to C3007 and C3010, including completion of multi-site field demonstrations of a crop species in which C3007 and C3010 have been introduced, and filing for regulatory approval of a crop species in which C3007 and C3010 have been introduced within a specified period.

During July 2018, the Company also entered into a non-exclusive research license agreement jointly with the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and Pioneer, part of Corteva Agriscience™ Agriculture Division of DowDupont, for the use of CRISPR-Cas9 genome-editing technology for crops. The joint license covers intellectual property consisting of approximately 48 patents and patent applications on CRISPR-Cas9 technology controlled by the Broad Institute and Corteva Agriscience. Under the agreement, the Company has the option to renew the license on an annual basis and the right to convert the research license to a commercial license in the future, subject to conditions specified in the agreement. CRISPR technology is uniquely suited to agricultural applications as it enables precise changes to plant DNA without the use of foreign DNA to incorporate new traits. Plants developed using CRISPR genome-editing technology have the potential to be designated as "non-regulated" by the U.S. Department of Agriculture - Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service ("USDA-APHIS") for development and commercialization in the U.S., which could result in shorter developmental timelines and lower costs associated with commercialization of new traits in the U.S. as compared to regulated crops.

The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements are unaudited and have been prepared by Yield10 in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP") and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in the Company’s annual consolidated financial statements have been condensed or omitted. The year-end condensed consolidated balance sheet data was derived from audited financial statements, but does not include all disclosures required by GAAP. The condensed consolidated financial statements, in the opinion of management, reflect all adjustments (consisting only of normal recurring adjustments) necessary for a fair statement of the financial position and results of operations for the interim periods ended June 30, 2018 and June 30, 2017.

The results of operations for the interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results of operations to be expected for any future period or the entire fiscal year. These interim consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2017, which are contained in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 12, 2018.

As of June 30, 2018, the Company held unrestricted cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments of $9,654. The Company follows the guidance of ASC Topic 205-40, Presentation of Financial Statements-Going Concern, 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 current cash forecast, management expects that the Company's present capital resources will be sufficient to fund its planned operations and meet its obligations into the third quarter of 2019. This forecast of cash resources is forward-looking information that involves risks and uncertainties, and the actual amount of expenses could vary materially and adversely as a result of a number of factors. The Company has evaluated the guidance of ASC Topic 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. The Company's ability to continue operations after its current cash resources are exhausted depends on its ability to obtain additional financing through, among other sources, public or private equity financing, secured or unsecured debt financing, equity or debt bridge financing, warrant holders' ability and willingness to exercise the Company's outstanding warrants, additional government grant or collaborative arrangements with third parties, as to which no assurance can be given. Management does not know whether additional financing will be available on terms favorable or acceptable to the Company when needed, if at all. If adequate additional funds are not available when required or if the Company is unsuccessful in entering into collaborative arrangements for further research, management may be forced to curtail the Company's research efforts, explore strategic alternatives and/or wind down its operations and pursue options for liquidating its remaining assets, including intellectual property and equipment. Based on its cash forecast, management has determined that the Company's present capital resources are unlikely to be sufficient to fund its planned operations for the twelve months from the date that the financial statements are issued, which raises substantial doubt about the Company's ability to continue as a going concern.

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.