Politics & Government
Walnut Creek Research Might Find New Biofuels
Research at Joint Genome Institute leads to debate about the politics of science.
Walnut Creek's place at the forefont of sustainable energy research got the spotlight from Washington Post science writer Annalee Newitz last week.
Coming from a visit to the Department of Energy's Joint Genome Institute in Walnut Creek, Newitz portrayed the scientists trying to understand the DNA of sustainable biofuels that may benefit our environment — from microbes in swamps to the bacteria from a cow's rumen, the organ that breaks down grasses.
Newitz went on to discuss the politics of science — how this type of research provokes debates about what should be funded by the government and what should be funded by market imperatives.
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