Important Innovations

Plant Based Meat Wars Source:  Impossible Burgers Big Rollouts Start On August 9th, 7200 Burger Kings in the US will have the Impossible Burger on their menus.  It's a national rollout for a plant-based burger patty created by Stanford University Professor Emeritus Pat O'Reilly Brown.  His burger was a big crowd pleaser and innovation award winner at the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.  Journalists and attendees commented that "it tastes so good, who needs meat?". He's been rolling out the alternative meat burger in restaurants since 2016. Consumer concerns about the health implications of eating beef and the unrelenting slaughter of animals are accelerating growth in the alternative meat industry globally. Meat Substitute Competition There is another big contender in the faux meat arena - Beyond Meat of Los Angeles.  Founded by entrepreneur Ethan Browne, the company also produces plant based meat substitutes.  It just announced that...

Salk Institute's Audacious Plan to Cut Global Warming with Carbon Hungry Plants Source:  Cornfield Stock Image $35 Million in Funding from TED Audacious Project Scientists at the Salk Institute in San Diego are developing genetically engineered plants with the capability to greatly increase their storage of carbon dioxide.  They believe that widespread use of such plants on farms worldwide could reduce carbon dioxide in the air by 25%.  For a great news blog, go to  Important Innovations Collection: Carbon Hungry Plants : Fighting Global Warming With Plants Source:  Cornfield stock image $35 Million Project at the Salk Institute The Salk Institute in S...

Sunflowers Decontaminating Nuclear Radioactivity Source:  Stock Photo Plants as Biotechnology It's called phytoremediation.  It's the process of natural plants cleaning up contaminated soil.  Scientists at the University of Technology Sydney, Australia have identified native Australian plants that can decontaminate areas devastated by man-made disasters, such as chemical spills and nuclear accidents.  According to the scientists, it's also 10x cheaper than excavating, digging and hauling the waste away. Bioremediation Natural plant processes can make contaminated soil safe again.  An example is the Chernobyl nuclear accident of 1986.  Subsequent research has shown that sunflowers were able to soak up radionuclides in the soil from the accident.  The actual site is being used again for what's being called environmentally friendly sustainable power.  Mustard plants are also able to absorb heavy metals from the soil. Nature Giving Back L...