In the hunt to replace petroleum, scientists are looking for more efficient ways to produce biofuels from organisms. A team of researchers at MIT have engineered yeast to manufacture the heavy alcohol,  isobutanol. Yeast normally creates isobutanol in small amounts, and by altering the cell so that the production takes place entirely in the mitochondria, the scientists were able to boost the amount of the chemical by 260 per cent. While still not able to generate enough isobutanol on an industrial scale, the technology holds the potential to open up biosynthetic pathways for a whole host of other chemicals. Currently, the researchers are still working towards increasing the production of isobutanol while reducing the amount of ethanol, a major byproduct of sugar breakdown.
(Source: inhabitat.com)

Valerie Duffy, a dietician and researcher at the University of Connecticut, came up with the idea of sweetening vegetables to make them more palatable to young people. In this study, funded by the American Diabetes Association, researchers offered kids two servings of the same vegetable. In a double-blinded experiment, they lightly misted one serving with plain water and the other with a dilute solution of aspartame. Two out of three kids preferred the vegetables that had been sweetened. Duffy said the sweetener should not be of concern to parents as only small quantities are involved. She also suggested that, once better eating habits are established the sweetener can be removed.
(Source: sciencemagcom / freshplaza.com)

 Seed libraries have sprouted up all over the place, though an interested person may have an easier time finding a branch of their public book library than any local seed library. That's why the Basalt Regional Library in Colorado has made it easier for patrons to find more than just books at their branch. Here's how it works: A library card gets you a packet of seeds. You then grow the fruits and vegetables, harvest the new seeds from the biggest and best, and return those seeds so the library can lend them out to others. 

(Source: treehugger.com)