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Solar Powered Microbes Manufacture Biofuels
esocid alerts us to news that scientists from the University of Texas at Austin have created a microbe capable of making cellulose, which can then be turned into ethanol. The bacteria use sunlight as an energy source, and the cellulose can be harvested without destroying them. Quoting:
"The new cyanobacteria produce a relatively pure, gel-like form of cellulose that can be broken down easily into glucose.
'The problem with cellulose harvested from plants is that it's difficult to break down because it's highly crystalline and mixed with lignins [for structure] and other compounds,' Nobles says. He was surprised to discover that the cyanobacteria also secrete large amounts of glucose or sucrose, sugars that can be directly harvested from the organisms."
I imagine that what they'll get is a horse's head in their bed, courtesy of InterGlobalPetroCorp.
If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.
I don't think that was his intention. The area required to farm any useful amount of karma would be around 820,000 square miles.
That's an area almost the size of the entire Midwest.
If you frequent McDonald's, you already produce gas, meat, and plastic in a bio-reactor, so this isn't new technology.
Just callin' it like I see it.
... that is, Protozoa for the Ethical Treatment of Amoebae. Humans don't have the right to enslave bacteria.
Research shows that 67% of those who use the term "research shows", are just making shit up.
Gatorade factory?
If your neighbours roof is flying past your window, you know it's cyclone season.
It's got what cyanobacteria crave!