Grassoline: Can we fuel cars with grass?

In 2006, the United Statesconsumed an average of almost 20.6 million barrels of petroleum per day, the equivalent of more than 865 million gallons of o­il [source: Energy Information Administration]. Oil powers your car on a trip to the grocery store. It helps industry develop and fosters technological advances in science and medicine. It also creates a tremendous amount of wealth: The global economy is based in large part on oil drilling, refining, transportation and distribution.­

Boeing looks to algae as alternative aviation fuel

Massive cultivation of oil-rich, CO2-absorbing algae pools covering an area equivalent to the size of Austria - or Maryland in the US - could hold the key to eliminating aviation’s contribution to global warming.

Speaking exclusively to flightglobal.com, Boeing’s alternative fuel expert Dave Daggett explains that algae has been elevated by the US aircraft manufacturer to front-runner status in terms of its potential to become a viable alternative aviation fuel.

Backyard algae may yield malaria vaccine

People living in malarial areas could produce their own vaccine against the killer disease by growing genetically engineered algae in their backyards at very low cost, researchers say.