Month: December 2007

Top 10 New Organisms

Butanol-producing E. coli

Genetic engineering is getting so easy, even a kid can do it. A team of students from the University of Alberta, “the Butanerds,” competed in the International Genetically Engineered Machines competition, creating an E. coli strain that produces butanol fuel (albeit rather inefficiently). The Butanerds have competition from a host of well-funded startups, like Synthetic Genomics and LS9, which are trying to genetically modify single-celled organisms to create the fuels of the future.

how long until “top 10 new human clades”?

Coal Plant Deathwatch

of course this hardly matters as long as china and india are addicted to coal

Apple Coffee Widget

The patent for a wireless system that would allow customers to place an order at a store using a wireless device such as a media player, a wireless personal digital assistant or a phone puts Apple’s partnership with Starbucks in a new light. The technology promises to morph Apple from the business of simply selling gadgets and music and movies that can be played on those devices into an intermediary in all kinds of exchanges.

more evidence that the core market for apple are insecure starbucks customers who need to strut their hardware on sundays.