Social Justice ‘Prof. Plastic’ alter ego: Arabidopsis thaliana On its own Arabidopsis thaliana, commonly referred to as “wall cress,” is just a small flowering plant. But… Julia Griffin
Social Justice ‘Madame Salt’ alter ego: Dwarf Glasswort According to the U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization, nearly 20 percent of the world’s irrigated agricultural lands are… Julia Griffin
Social Justice ‘Commander Carbon’ alter ego: Spekboom Once considered just an ornamental bonsai plant outside of its home range of South Africa, the shrub Portulacaria… Julia Griffin
Social Justice ‘Captain Biodiesel’ alter ego: Jatropha curcus Google “jatropha,” specifically the species Jatropha curcus, and it’s hard to miss the hundreds of Web sites touting… Julia Griffin
Social Justice ‘Dr. Pharm’ alter ego: Safflower In what could be the beginning of plant-based pharmaceuticals, Canada’s SemBioSys Genetics Inc. has genetically modified safflower plants… Julia Griffin
Social Justice ‘The Grass Giant’ alter ego: Miscanthus Move over corn, giant Miscanthus is on track to take over your domestic renewable ethanol production commitments. Actually… Julia Griffin
Social Justice ‘Rubber Root’ alter ego: Guayule Apparently the rubber world is at a crossroads. Natural rubber, which makes products like latex gloves, predominantly comes… Julia Griffin
Environment Futurists Fear Droughts More Than Pandemics Two noted futurists are less concerned about acute knockout blows from a pandemic and more fearful of diminishing water and increasing warmth. Lewis Beale
Environment American Idling: The Ecological Cost of Keeping the Engine Running The quick, simple act of turning your car off instead of idling whenever possible could play an enormous role in slowing the rate of climate change. Tom Jacobs
Environment ‘Deforest Fires’ Fan Global Warming Deforestation has long been associated with global warming, but a new paper suggests the method of deforesting — intentionally burning — may be a terrifically potent climate changer, too. Michael Todd