The much abhorred E. coli for its close association with food poisoning will earn some of its lost respect if Thomas Wood’s research turns out to be fruitful. A professor of chemical engineering at Texas A&M Wood successfully tweaked a strain of E.coli to get it to produce 140 times more hydrogen than it does naturally. With the help of his friends, he was able to remove 6 genes from the strain’s DNA to convert its cell machinery into a mini hydrogen-producing dynamo powered by glucose. E-coli is known to convert sugar into hydrogen through a special fermentative process.

Wood’s plan will also solve the problem of transportation, a major hassle in hydrogen production. In his own words, Wood puts it, “the idea is to make the hydrogen where you need it.” He is already confident about the potential of his project which will power the next generation of homes and vehicles. In the current stage of his experiment, he estimates that an individual would need to shovel the equivalent of a man’s weight of sugar into a 250-gallon fuel tank so that the E. coli-reactor could produce enough hydrogen to power the average home for an entire day. We sure wish him luck!

Via Treehugger/ Sciencedaily

Looks like the sweet tooth will no longer be able to sustain the love for chocolates. As per the ‘Atlanta Journal-Constitution’, chocolate making companies are over-wrought building further on the qualities like energy-inducing, vitamin-boosting and celeb backing for their choco-babies.

Famous brand Snickers will not be known as just Snickers but as Snickers Charged. In its newest avatar, the chocolate promises as much caffeine as in a shot of espresso. Not only this, it also contains taurine and B vitamins plus chocolate, peanuts and caramel nougat. Next in line is Dale Jr.’s Big Mo’bar with rich caramel and peanut butter fillings, and it is aimed at Nascar fans in want of something sweet.

Other themed goodies available in the market are all-green M&M’s especially meant for Valentine’s Day, a coffee-flavored Twix Java and Starbucks’ candy bars from Hershey’s (it will be coming in March). The paper explains how candy companies are using limited-time offerings and twists on familiar names to grow sales. But the result isn’t out yet. Like I always say, let’s wait and watch!

Via TheDailyGreen

We have heard about mild and strong coffee but what about those who enjoy sipping on tea but have a poor tolerance for caffeine. Good news is finally here. Cafedirect has come up with a new range of ethical teas called ‘Teadirect Gold’ with mild caffeine content in them.

Tea leaves from Kenya, Rwanda and India have been mixed in the right proportions to offer a mesmerizing flavor and taste. Leaves soured from Kenya will add a bright color to the tea when the ones from Rwanda leave a hint of gold in it as leaves from India bring malty notes to the beverage. Did we ever know tea to be so complex! Apart from paying a fair price for the raw material, Cafedirect is also investing around 60% of its profits in the grower’s business to insure a consistent supply of raw material for the new teas.

Tea-grower Julius Ethangatha, of Michimikuru in Kenya, say, “We will strive to give the world quality tea now and always. I am also glad to know that even the farmer gets to share the benefits.”

Via SmartPlanet