[Rockhounds] Bakken Formation => burning petroleum

[diente at prismnet.com]

On 19 Jul 2008 at 18:58, J Bryan Kramer wrote:

> I have heard that there is some interest in genetically engineering trees to
> directly produce hydrocarbons. 

There are already engineered bacteria used to clean oilspills by eating the oil, breaking it
down into less harmful components.  Seems like the bacteria could be engineered to operate 
in reverse to create oil from the components.

Anyway, here is an interesting article from down under saying that carbon plays only a minor 
role in the recent global warming.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24036736-7583,00.html

Here is a little snippet from that article.

The satellites that measure the world's temperature all say that the warming trend 
ended in 2001, and that the temperature has dropped about 0.6C in the past year (to 
the temperature of 1980)  Land-based temperature readings are corrupted by the 
"urban heat island" effect: urban areas encroaching on thermometer stations warm 
the micro-climate around the thermometer, due to vegetation changes, concrete, cars, 
houses.

Anyway, an interesting read.

Paul Bordovsky
Austin, TX




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