Engineered microbe may be key to producing plastic from plants

With a few genetic tweaks, a type of soil bacteria with an appetite for hydrocarbons shows promise as a biological factory for converting a renewable—but frustratingly untapped—bounty into a replacement for ubiquitous ...

Go-anywhere cleanroom

CAPE is a transportable, tent-like cleanroom facility developed by researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA. It can be installed both indoors and in unexposed outdoor locations, ...

Scientists nail down important plant compound pathway

Purdue University plant molecular biochemist Natalia Dudareva and colleagues have described a complete second pathway used by plants to produce phenylalanine, a compound important for all living organisms.

Improving crop yields while conserving resources

When it comes to the health of the planet, agriculture and food production play an enormous role. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, roughly 37 percent of land worldwide is used for ...

As GM cuts in US, Fiat Chrysler invests in Italian plants

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles said Thursday that its plants in Italy would return to full employment with a 5 billion-euro ($5.7 billion) investment in new cars and engine technology, including a fully electric version of the ...

How many people can China feed?

Tiziana Smith has had her mind on water for years. The San Antonio native learned about the importance of preserving the city's water resources in grade school—and has used that knowledge as a springboard into her research ...

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