« Precedent-setting car… |
Home |
City Trash Plus Farm … »
29 09 08 - 02:52
Big Help in Biofuels Research
Washington - A short little grass known as purple false brome may speed discoveries about switchgrass, its famous cousin and energy-crop hopeful.
Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists like John Vogel and Yong Gu at the agency's Western Regional Research Center in Albany, Calif., are probing the genetic makeup of purple false brome, or Brachypodium distachyon, as a faster way to learn more about the genes inside switchgrass.
Brachypodium (pronounced BRACKY-poe-dee-umm) accelerates energy-crop research because its genome, or genetic material, is significantly smaller than that of switchgrass, according to Vogel. The smaller genome means Brachypodium's genome can be studied in depth in a shorter amount of time than it would take to scrutinize the switchgrass genome.
The two grass species are so closely related that scientists expect findings about the Brachypodium genome to apply to switchgrass' larger one.
Vogel, a plant molecular biologist, along with research geneticist Gu and research leader Olin Anderson--all with the Genomics and Gene Discovery Research Unit at the Albany center--are the first to report the successful shuttling of new genes into Brachypodium via a bacterium widely used for this purpose in other plants. Known as "transformation," the process provides a reliable way to help uncover the function of plant genes.
In addition, Gu and colleagues have developed what's known as a "physical map" for Brachypodium--the first-ever for this plant. The map, assembled in collaboration with Ming-Cheng Luo at the University of California-Davis, and others, depicts the location of neighboring stretches of Brachypodium genes and other genetic material. Knowing where genes are located is a critical part of understanding Brachypodium's genetic makeup.
Used tags: alternative_fuels, biodiese, biofuels, brachypodium, celulosic_biofuels, renewable_energy, switchgrass, switchgrass_as_fuel
News from edie.net
-
weblog_text - more - ()
Monday 29 September 2008 at 02:52 am
Big Help in Biofuels Research
Washington - A short little grass known as purple false brome may speed discoveries about switchgrass, its famous cousin and energy-crop hopeful.
Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists like John Vogel and Yong Gu at the agency's Western Regional Research Center in Albany, Calif., are probing the genetic makeup of purple false brome, or Brachypodium distachyon, as a faster way to learn more about the genes inside switchgrass.
more
Monday 29 September 2008 at 02:43 am
By Mark Clayton
For almost as long as people have worried about global warming, economists have called for taxing carbon emissions. As long as sending CO2 skyward was cost-free, they argued, the practice would continue.
Starting Sept. 25, for the first time in US history, a price tag will begin to be placed on millions of tons of carbon dioxide spewing from every major power plant from Maine to Maryland.
Just what that price will be won't be known until after Thursday's computerized auction of about 12.5 million tons of "carbon allowances," essentially permission slips to pollute.
Utility companies will bid on the allowances. They may be used, saved, or traded so that any company with a need to send more CO2 up the stack can buy more - at the market price. The amount of CO2 to be cut over the next decade is modest - about 18 million tons annually (US power plants collectively emit about 2.8 billion tons of CO2 yearly). But the auction and process of setting a price for carbon are critical first steps, many say.
more
Saturday 13 September 2008 at 5:18 pm
Dispelling The “Twisted Truths” Of Energy-Saving Light Bulbs
For more than 129 years, people have used the incandescent light bulb as the primary light source for the home. With more consumers searching for products that are good for the environment, a new light bulb is revolutionizing lighting around the world. Energy-saving compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) have become the symbol of the “green” movement. They use 75 percent less energy and last as much as 10 times longer than traditional incandescent light bulbs. Plus, they help reduce carbon dioxide emissions linked to global warming.
more
Saturday 13 September 2008 at 5:08 pm
Campaign Plants Trees At Schools Across The U.S.
Schools are generally seen as the place to plant the seeds of knowledge. Yet thanks to a one-day environmental campaign, schools and parks across the country became places to plant something a little greener.
Sixteen schools across the country, from Long Island to Hawaii, participated in the initial “Trees for Success” campaign, with more than 800 trees planted in schools and neighboring parks in a single day. The schools were selected by the Arbor Day Foundation out of more than 200 applications based on need, civic and local support, student involvement, a plan for upkeep, and location.
more
Saturday 13 September 2008 at 4:50 pm
Wind Power Is Poised To Support U.S. Jobs
The U.S. Department of Energy contends that wind power can provide 20 percent of the nation’s electricity by 2030.
Experts say there is a renewable source of energy that is capable of becoming a major contributor to America’s electricity supply over the next three decades--wind power.
In 2007, wind was already one of the fastest-growing sources of electricity in U.S. households, and the U.S. Department of Energy contends that wind power can provide 20 percent of the nation’s electricity by 2030 and be a critical part of the solution to global warming.
more
Saturday 13 September 2008 at 4:41 pm
Weathering Rising Costs With Free Program
AEN News
Spiking energy costs are prompting many Americans to find ways to conserve energy.
Escalating energy costs have affected low-income Americans the most, says a recent study by the National Energy Assistance Directors' Association, forcing them to cut staples such as food and medicine.
more
Saturday 13 September 2008 at 4:23 pm
Algae-To-Energy Tests Planned
AEN News
For decades, scientists and energy executives have sought to unlock the energy potential of algae. Best known as the green pond scum that befouls rivers, lakes and streams, the single-celled plants are also a potentially prolific source of renewable fuels that could be used to power engines in cars, trucks, generators and many other machines.
Because algae use carbon dioxide to grow and reproduce, releasing oxygen in the process, systems that use them to produce renewable biofuel supplies are also being eyed for their promise in reducing carbon dioxide emissions from power plants and other sources generally believed to promote global warming.
Despite the promise of this approach in a world searching for renewable alternatives to limited fossil fuel supplies, attempts to develop algae-derived biofuels in commercially viable volumes have not been successful.
Now, that could be changing.
more
Saturday 13 September 2008 at 4:00 pm
Female Scientists Work To Make Breakthroughs
AEN News
One woman, Dr. Laura Lapham at Florida State University, is studying possible new energy sources at the bottom of the sea. Another woman, Dr. Sandra Ugrina at the University of Maryland, is developing ways to make the next generation of aircraft more fuel efficient by reducing the drag on their wings. And still another, Dr. Sridevi Vedula Sarma at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is investigating ways to improve treatments for Parkinson’s disease.
more
Saturday 13 September 2008 at 3:43 pm
Creating Sustainable, Alternative Fuels
AEN News
With rising oil prices and dwindling natural resources, scientists are working harder than ever to develop viable alternative fuels that can support America’s--and the world’s--energy needs.
Yet the solution is not as simple as it seems, since it generally takes power to make power. For example, grain-based biofuels, such as ethanol, require a “feedstock” from which to derive energy. But using corn and other grains as feedstock means they’re not available as food--a tricky situation when millions of people don’t have enough to eat, due to grain-based biofuel’s potential effect on worldwide food supplies.
Fortunately, there are other biofuel sources that are now being put into play.
more
Saturday 13 September 2008 at 3:30 pm
Exploring Scientific Ways To Save The Planet
AEN News
According to many experts, global warming is the greatest crisis that mankind has ever faced. And as the planet heads toward disaster, decisive action is needed.
Some of the world’s finest brains have been drawing up plans--radical scientists with revolutionary ideas. Yet putting these ideas into action requires epic experiments on a massive scale, in search of a solution that could change the future of our world.
more
Saturday 13 September 2008 at 3:15 pm
Cars Of The Future: What To Expect
by Jim Barbaresso
Traffic tie-ups and fender benders may one day be a thing of the past thanks to Intelligent Transportation Systems.
ITS is intended to make us a more mobile nation and a safer one. Like the creation of our Interstate Highway System more than 50 years ago, ITS will have a dramatic impact on our country’s transportation challenges and opportunities.
Today, traffic congestion and highway safety are serious problems that affect our quality of life and our economy. The average motorist spends nearly a week stuck in traffic each year. That’s time that could be spent with family and friends or being more productive at work. More than 42,000 people are killed in traffic accidents and hundreds of thousands more are injured each year. The impacts on our society are staggering.
more
Trackback link:Please enable javascript to generate a trackback url