Faustino Martinez stands next to harvested agave hearts before they are boiled and crushed to make mezcal in the town of Santiago Matatlan. REUTERS/Stringer

Biofuels: Could Agave, Hemp, and Saltbush Be the Fuels of the Future?
On paper, biofuels seem the ideal replacement for fossil fuels, which drive global warming by spewing tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere that would otherwise be locked away in geological deposits. But the past decade has seen the biofuel industry face tough economic conditions and niggling questions over its green credentials. The fledgling industry is now turning to a raft of innovative crop and processing technologies to overcome its challenges.

Researchers Seek Better Ways to Farm Popular Pacific Fish
At a federal marine research station near Seattle, scientists are studying sablefish genetics and investigating ways to make it easier and more efficient to commercially grow the fish. It is part of a larger effort by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to support marine aquaculture as a solution to feed a growing demand worldwide for seafood.

Next Phase of High-Tech Crops: Editing Their Genes
Companies view gene editing as the new front in genetic technology, potentially offering a cheaper and easier method of tweaking plants’ DNA. Monsanto is investing in gene editing in an effort to keep an edge over rival suppliers of high-tech crop seeds; it has signed a string of licensing deals to add new gene-editing capabilities to its established methods of genetically modifying seeds, or creating GMOs.

To Simulate Climate Change, Scientists Build Miniature Worlds
Climate change will alter the ecosystems that humanity depends upon in the coming century. But given the complexity of the living world, how can you learn what may happen? A team of Australian scientists has an answer: miniature ecosystems designed to simulate the impact of climate change. The experiments are already revealing dangers that would have been missed had researchers tried to study individual species in isolation.