UCLA Takes on Gas

(NOTE: As a proud Trojan, I am a little less than enthused about today's contributor to my blog, but I will suck it up for the sake of science.) With the persistant threat of greenhouse gases that only increases with every passing day, institutions for green technology and alternative fuels have become a thriving industry, praised by the public. There've been many breakthroughs harnessing wind power, solar power, hydrogen fuel cells, etc., and it looks like a little school across town may have found may have come across another.

Researchers at UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science have found a new appraoch to reduce greenhouse gases while produce alternative liquid fuel, isobutanol . Scientists have found that by genetically modifying the cyanobacterium Synechoccus elongatus, they create a new strain that metabolizes carbon dioxide, and with the use of solar power, produces isobutanol. (Carbon dioxide is a major greenhouse gas resulting from burning fossil fuels. It is most commonly produced by automobiles and power plants.) The research will be published in this week's Nature Biotechnology journal.

GOOD JOB BRUINS! I mean, something good had to come out of you eventually...