A very interesting article from the May 27th issue of Science News. It's supposed to be subscribers only, but it appears you can look at it anyway. Regardless, it gives hope for plunging oil prices and potentially unlocking Alberta's oil sands.

A new study proves the feasibility of using specialized microbes to lift trapped oil that's ( Read more... )

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They've found another planetAnd not just any planet, or one of those rubbish "hot Jupiters". No, this is an Earth-like planet. It orbits quite close to its parent star, but since said parent is a red dwarf (no, not a BBC show), it balances out quite nicely. They figure surface temperatures range from freezing to about 100F ( Read more... )