The scientists and researchers at Tulane’s Department of Cell and Molecular Biology are well aware of this fact, which is why they’ve been working on using a specific strain of bacteria that feeds on organic materials, such as old newspapers, in order to produce biofuel.

The team of researchers, comprised of associate professor David Mullin, postdoctoral fellow Harshad Velankar, and undergraduate student Hailee Rask, have discovered a strain of bacteria they dubbed as “TU-103″ that can feed on paper wastes to produce butanol. The bacteria was first found in animal droppings and was cultivated so that it could be used for butanol production.

Velankar explains, “Cellulose is found in all green plants, and is the most abundant organic material on earth, and converting it into butanol is the dream of many.” And achieve that dream is what these scientists have been able to do. He also adds: “In the United States alone, at least 323 million tons of cellulosic materials that could be used to produce butanol are thrown out each year.”

The team conducted their experiments using old editions of The Times Picayune, New Orleans’ daily newspaper. The patent for the process that they have developed for biofuel production is currently pending.

[via Physorg via Dvice]

Or maybe the boss needs to have a talk with the editor and teach him how to use the “Delete” key in addition to “Cut” and “Paste.”

[via Neatorama]

The Skiff Reader has a huge 11.5″ diagonal touchscreen, and a native resolution of 1200×1600 pixels at an astoundingly sharp 174 pixels-per-inch. Just how sharp is that? The screenshot below is only at 72 pixels-per-inch, and it’s already pretty impressive.

The next-gen metal-foil e-paper display (made by LG) is also shatterproof and crackproof. With a screen like that, this is truly the first e-reader that I’ve seen that could give newspapers and magazines a run for their money.

While it has a great large screen, it still has a super svelte thin profile magnesium body that’s every bit as nice as anything you’ve seen on any e-reader before it. The reader can run for about a week on a single 2 to 3 hour charge, and has built-in Wi-Fi connectivity and 4GB of on-board storage (and an SDHC slot for additional memory). In addition, Skiff has signed a deal with Sprint to provide 3G network access for downloading content, and they also will sell Skiff Readers in Sprint stores.

No word yet on pricing or a release date – only “later this year”, but the Skiff is definitely one to watch.

That’s the case right there; it’s a plastic handbag made to look like a newspaper. I would never have guessed that it would look like this even if I had a hundred chances. The case also comes with a removable metal chain handle. There are 5 different newspaper designs to choose from, each mimicking a popular newspaper from different countries (the one in the picture is a spoof of La Vanguardia, one of the most popular Spanish dailies). The case only comes in one size, big enough to fit a 15-in Macbook Pro. It’s available at mitemite for €60 (appx. $86 USD), but you’ll need a PayPal account before you can order one.

[via Red Ferret Journal]

Scott Walker’s DigitalBox Newspaper Machine automatically displays the day’s latest news on an LCD screen that’s installed in the front of an old newspaper vending machine.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

He put together the system using a Mac Mini and a 17-inch LG monitor locked away inside the guts of the machine. Some custom AppleScript pulls down images of the newspapers from Newseum and formats them for optimal viewing on the screen. In addition, the DigitalBox plays slideshows, music and videos from iTunes.

[via MAKE]