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Discovered: A faster way to make biocrude; the most exhaustive bird family tree yet; solar cells made solely from carbon; aphid-resistant raspberries.
Quick-cooked biofuel. Scientists from the U.S. National Research Council recently warned that we switching to algae-derived biofuels at this early stage may incur unsustainable tradeoffs in fertilizer, water, and transportation inputs. They encouraged further research into so-called biocrude though, and may be pleased with the results from a new study by University of Michigan chemical engineer Phil Savage. He's found a way to convert Nannochloropsis alge into fuel in under a minute. The trick is to pack the algae in a steel pipe connector, then submerge it in 1,100-degree Fahrenheit sand. This "pressure cooking" technique really speeds up the process, bringing waits times that were previously up to 90 minutes down to 60 seconds. "By reducing the reactor volume, the cost of building a biocrude production plant also decreases," says co-researcher Julia Faeth, giving hope for companies that want to mass produce biocrude sustainably. [Univeristy of Michigan]
Black raspberries that can withstand aphid attacks. Those of you partial to the red raspberry's moodier sibling will be happy to hear that USDA researchers have discovered black raspberries that are naturally resistant to aphids. Researchers led by the USDA Agricultural Research Service's Chad Finn studied samples from 132 wild black raspberry patches, finding natural genetic resistance to the black raspberry aphid in berries from Ontario, Maine, and Michigan. These findings will help growers halt the spread of black raspberry necrosis virus, which is carried by the aphids. "This is the first report of aphid resistance in black raspberry," the USDA reports. [USDA Agricultural Research Service]