Coal for the Future?

At least that was what the Germans thought in the late 70's! German scientists at the time were trying to figure out a way to design a process for deriving gasoline from coal, due to fluctuating petroleum prices. The idea never really took off, but it provides a great example of how now matter how well you might think you can predict a trend (i.e. German scientists seeing coal gasoline as the wave of the future), you could be tottaly off the mark. [Link]

Algae powered F22 raptors...coming soon?

An article over at MSNBC talks about the future of Biofuels, and algae could be powering military vehicles soon. A Utah university is growing algae in huge batches to see if the lipid excreting creatures can make a suitable replacement for gasoline, which is problematic for many reasons (supply is limited, and as we saw last summer the price of gasoline can skyrocket). So far, results are promising, and blends of algae and gasoline have even been used in commercial jets! Could this be the start of a new industry? [Article]