Technology Uses Microscopic Bugs to Gin Up Ethanol: ; Creatures Convert Plant Waste Into Essentially 199-Proof Moonshine That Can Power Automobiles

Summary

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SAN FRANCISCO - The key to kicking what President Bush calls the nation's oil addiction could very well lie in termite guts, canvas- eating jungle bugs and other microbes genetically engineered to spew enzymes that turn waste into fuel.

It may seem hard to believe that microscopic bugs usually viewed as destructive pests can be so productive. But scientists and several companies are working with the creatures to convert wood, corn stalks and other plant waste into sugars that are easily brewed into ethanol - essentially 199-proof moonshine that can be used to power automobiles.

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Technology Uses Microscopic Bugs to Gin Up Ethanol: ; Creatures Convert Plant Waste Into Essentially 199-Proof Moonshine That Can Power Automobiles

Thanks to biotechnology breakthroughs, supporters of alternative energy sources say that after decades of unfulfilled promise and billions in government corn subsidies, energy companies may be...

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