In Switzerland, EPFL scientists have developed a new, PET-like plastic that is easily made from the non-edible parts of plants. The plastic is tough, heat-resistant, and a good barrier to gases like oxygen, making it a promising candidate for food packaging. Due to its structure, the new plastic can also be chemically recycled and degrade […]
In California, a group of biofuel experts led by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) took inspiration from an extraordinary antifungal molecule made by Streptomyces bacteria to develop a totally new type of fuel that has projected energy density greater than the most advanced heavy-duty fuels used today, including the rocket fuels used by NASA. […]
In Ohio, “Biologicals: Farmer Value, Perception and Potential,” a comprehensive market research effort focused on understanding farmer opinions on the current use, issues and potential for biologicals at field-level was launched by Stratovation Group in close collaboration with the Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA), DC Legislative and Regulatory Services (DCLRS) and The Fertilizer Institute (TFI). “Most […]
In Australia, University of New South Wales chemists have engineered a new molecular “vice,” by including the rare metal osmium, that can bind methane for hours—providing crucial evidence for an intermediate step that will inform new catalysts to store, transport, or transform the gas into methanol and help to avert wastage of the gas worldwide. […]
In New Jersey, aiming to produce environmentally friendly alternatives to plastic food wrap and containers, a Rutgers scientist has developed a biodegradable, plant-based coating that can be sprayed on foods, guarding against pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms and transportation damage. The scalable process could potentially reduce the adverse environmental impact of plastic food packaging as well […]
In Missouri, multidisciplinary research from Washington University in St. Louis is revealing the origins and uses of camelina and may help guide decisions critical to achieving its potential as a biofuel feedstock for a greener aviation industry in the future. In this study, the researchers determined that camelina was likely domesticated from the Caucasus region […]
In California, a group of biofuel experts led by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) took inspiration from an extraordinary antifungal molecule made by Streptomyces bacteria to develop a totally new type of fuel that has projected energy density greater than the most advanced heavy-duty fuels used today, including the rocket fuels used by NASA. […]
In California, biofuel scientists used an oddball molecule made by bacteria to develop a new class of biofuels predicted to have greater energy density than any petroleum product, including the leading aviation and rocket fuels, JetA and RP-1. “This biosynthetic pathway provides a clean route to highly energy-dense fuels that, prior to this work could […]
In North Carolina, when heat waves hit, they don’t just take a toll on people — the plants we depend on for food suffer too. That’s because when temperatures get too high, certain plant defenses don’t work as well, leaving them more susceptible to attacks from pathogens and insect pests. Now, scientists say they have […]
In Colorado, on a drizzly day in July 1920, a Colorado scientist named Junius Henderson was hiking around the Dakota Hogback, a sandstone ridge north of Boulder. There, he spotted a group of Rocky Mountain snails (Oreohelix strigosa) oozing across the ground. Henderson scooped up the mollusks and brought them back to his lab at […]
