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Comment Re:Ridiculous! (Score 1) 366

by roberthead (#29370945) Attached to: Teenager Invents Cheap Solar Panel From Human Hair
The story is atrocious, which is typical of "science" reporting. However, I think it's possible that we are misinterpreting what we are seeing (and that the caption is inaccurate). Perhaps the black stuff (the bulk of the panel) is the hair-based material, and those little wires are something else. On the other hand, I think it's suspicious that this kid calls out his neighbors as ignorant bumpkins. Plays a little too well to the subconscious assumptions of a Western audience.
Biotech

Novel Algae Fuel-Farming Method Gets Big Backing 176

Posted by timothy from the alcohol-project-leads-to-endowment dept.
Al writes "Dow Chemical has given its backing to a Florida startup called Algenol Biofuels that hopes to produce commercial quantities of ethanol directly from algae without the need for fresh water or agricultural lands. Dozens of companies are trying to produce biofuels from algae, mostly by growing and harvesting the microorganisms to extract their oil. Algenol has chosen instead to genetically enhance certain strains of blue-green algae, also known as cyanobacteria, to convert as much carbon dioxide as possible into ethanol using a process that doesn't require harvesting to collect the fuel. Algenol's bioreactors are troughs covered by a dome of semitransparent film and filled with salt water that has been pumped in straight from the ocean. The photosynthetic algae growing inside are exposed to sunlight and fed a stream of carbon dioxide from Dow's chemical production units. The goal is to produce 100,000 gallons of ethanol annually."

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