Comments on: Secretary of Synthetic Biology Indeed http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2009/01/13/secretary-of-synthetic-biology-indeed/ A blog about life, past and future. Written by DISCOVER contributing editor and columnist Carl Zimmer. Mon, 09 Nov 2009 10:55:13 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Arturo D http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2009/01/13/secretary-of-synthetic-biology-indeed/comment-page-1/#comment-13862 Arturo D Wed, 14 Jan 2009 17:48:54 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2009/01/13/secretary-of-synthetic-biology-indeed/#comment-13862 Some folks at the University of Texas at Austin are trying to engineer cyanobacteria to produce biofuels. This sounds much better than using any kind of crop. They have a video explaining their approach at http://www.utexas.edu/oncampus/2008/05/16/fueling-the-future/ Some folks at the University of Texas at Austin are trying to engineer cyanobacteria to produce biofuels.
This sounds much better than using any kind of crop.
They have a video explaining their approach at
http://www.utexas.edu/oncampus/2008/05/16/fueling-the-future/

]]> By: Uncle Al http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2009/01/13/secretary-of-synthetic-biology-indeed/comment-page-1/#comment-13861 Uncle Al Wed, 14 Jan 2009 16:40:54 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2009/01/13/secretary-of-synthetic-biology-indeed/#comment-13861 Photosynthesis first thing goes through <a HREF="http://www.mazepath.com/uncleal/perfect.htm" rel="nofollow">RuBisCO</A>, the slowest (2-3 turnovers/sec) least efficient (less than 1% of input solar energy becoming chemistry), worst (50% of output poisoned by oxygen) enzyme on Earth that is 30 wt-% of soluble leaf protein. Bio-this and fuel-that is a load of crap. Gene-gineer RuBisCO to a dismal 20 turnovers/second and 15% effciency. Your biomass yields increase 100X. ONE HUNDRED-FOLD Maize pimp Archer-Daniels-Midland is the anti-Christ. Put a bunch of Caltech undergrads in a summer genetic recombination lab. Corn real world <a HREF="http://journeytoforever.org/biodiesel_yield.html" rel="nofollow">yields</A> 18 gal/acre biodiesel. Oil palm yields 635 gal/acre biodiesel. You need not be a Head Start dropout to realize 63,500 gal/acre biodiesel is hot stuff. 90 million acres of US corn/year are planted, 14 million in Iowa. (60,000 gal/acre)(14 million acres)($2 gallon) = $1.68 trillion Is that sufficiently motivating, Iowa? Photosynthesis first thing goes through RuBisCO, the slowest (2-3 turnovers/sec) least efficient (less than 1% of input solar energy becoming chemistry), worst (50% of output poisoned by oxygen) enzyme on Earth that is 30 wt-% of soluble leaf protein. Bio-this and fuel-that is a load of crap. Gene-gineer RuBisCO to a dismal 20 turnovers/second and 15% effciency. Your biomass yields increase 100X. ONE HUNDRED-FOLD

Maize pimp Archer-Daniels-Midland is the anti-Christ. Put a bunch of Caltech undergrads in a summer genetic recombination lab. Corn real world
yields 18 gal/acre biodiesel. Oil palm yields 635 gal/acre biodiesel. You need not be a Head Start dropout to realize 63,500 gal/acre biodiesel is hot stuff. 90 million acres of US corn/year are planted, 14 million in Iowa.

(60,000 gal/acre)(14 million acres)($2 gallon) = $1.68 trillion

Is that sufficiently motivating, Iowa?

]]> By: Iron Soul http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2009/01/13/secretary-of-synthetic-biology-indeed/comment-page-1/#comment-13831 Iron Soul Tue, 13 Jan 2009 20:48:33 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2009/01/13/secretary-of-synthetic-biology-indeed/#comment-13831 Everything has a price, but this is really cool. It is also really cool to have a real scientist back in the political mix. Everything has a price, but this is really cool. It is also really cool to have a real scientist back in the political mix.

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