Orchids and Palm Hawaii wallpaper
Decoding of wheat genome will aid global food shortage
Wheat production world-wide is under threat from climate change and an increase in demand from a growing human population. Liverpool scientists, in collaboration with the University of Bristol and the John Innes Centre, have sequenced the entire wheat genome and will make the DNA data available to crop breeders to help them select key agricultural traits for breeding. Bread wheat, with an estimated world harvest of more than 550 million tonnes, is one of the most important food crops in the world…
With modern sequencing techniques scientists decoded the wheat genome in a year – the human genome took 15 years. This breakthrough should help wheat breeders select breeds for traits that might yield more wheat yield per acre planted, better resistance to drought and resistance to fungus.
Dr Anthony Hall added: “Wheat production is already under pressure with failures in the Russian harvest driving up world wheat prices. It is predicted that within the next 40 years world food production will need to be increased by 50 per cent. Developing new, low input, high yielding varieties of wheat, will be fundamental to meeting these goals.
Much of the increase in wheat yields will be for naught if the world increases its consumption of meat – beef in particular. 12 pounds of wheat produces 12 loafs of bread, but only yields one hamburger.
Buckeye Bullet Sets EV Land-Speed Record
Topping 307 mph is an amazing feat in any vehicle. It’s even more so when the vehicle in question is a student-built electric vehicle.
The Venturi Buckeye Bullet built by students at Ohio State University achieved an average speed of 307.7 mph during a two-run pass at the Bonneville Salt Flats on Tuesday.
There are some photos at the Buckeye Bullet Blog. Now if we only had highways where we could travel at those speeds. I remember an article written by a Chicago commuter who estimated they spent almost 500 hours per year commuting. Lets say you are in the work force for about 45 years, that’s 22,500 hours or 937 days or 2.5 years commuting.
Dell Cuts 18 Million Pounds Out of Packaging Loop
In December 2008, Dell announced a plan to transform computer packaging. And in that time, the company has increased the amount of recycled content in its packaging by approximately 32 percent, including the introduction of bamboo packaging. To achieve the company’s larger packaging goals of increasing recycled content in its packaging by 40 percent by 2012 the company is implementing a strategy based on the three Cs: Cube, Content and Curbside.
The reporter at the link says Dell has integrated the equivalent of more than 9.5 million half-gallon milk jugs into its packaging. Dell still has a way to go. Part of what it is trying to achieve in terms of the entire recycling loop is to get local recycling companies – the folks who pick up our recycled bins – to start recycling bamboo.
Egg-Shaped Salt and Pepper Shakers Made of Reclaimed Wood. Made in the good ol’USA by Domestic Aesthetic. Pictures at either link.
Kent Wells: BP Exec Avoids Answering When Relief Well Will Be Finished. From some hearings over in Houston. The phrase “I don’t recall” seemed to pop up a lot. Apparently if you want to be an oil company executive that phrase is the crutch to use for any tough question.
tangledwing 