Tag Archives: green energy

Apr 12 2011

artificial leaves give a whole new meaning to green energy

It seems I’m on a bit of a green energy kick here lately, but why shouldn’t I be?  As informed citizens of the world, we should be making any reasonable attempt to be more efficient in doing what we do.  I recently stumbled across an article in Science that shed some light on a really brilliant piece of work attempting to do just that.  The work, led by Dr. David Nocera, created an artificial leaf that is capable of recreating photosynthesis to power any number of things.

I was just about to write up a piece on this work, when I realized a friend of mine beat me to the punch.  On that note, let me direct you to her website – Architerials.  There’s a brilliant post about the very article I was looking into, and I don’t know that I could say it better myself.  Hope you enjoy the site – it’s about new & emerging architectural materials.  Though not strictly speaking in the realm of science, it all connects not too far down the road, and this piece of research is a perfect example of that.

In the meantime, I’m sure we should get ready for some unusual looking new potted plants.  Ones perhaps attached to central power.  Hey, ya never know.
Thanks & Gig ‘Em.

Apr 10 2011

genetically engineered bugs may help solve the energy crisis

Image Courtesy butanol.com

I was pretty excited to get a new truck a few weeks ago.  Chevy 1500 LT crew cab, V8, 300 horsepower, beautiful storm gray metallic.  No, I’m not getting paid by Chevy (though I’m always open to offers)…more like I’m just smitten with the new toy.  Or perhaps, I was until today when I had to fill ‘er up for the first time.  I guess I shouldn’t complain too much because Texas gas prices aren’t nearly as painfully high as in the rest of the country, but when a month’s gas is going to near my monthly truck payment…let’s just say it hurts.

Needless to say, I was pretty excited when I stumbled upon this story for yet another development in the alternative fuel world.  I’d always thought that there had to be a way to use our biology knowledge to make bacteria do our bidding to benefit us.  It turns out, UCLA researchers led by Dr. James C. Liao were (quite) a few steps ahead of me.  In a paper published in the March issue of the Journal of Applied and Environmental Microbiology, they report on the creation of a genetically engineered form of E. coli that is capable of efficient production of butanol, a green alternative fuel source to ethanol and gasoline. Continue reading →