(Feb.9, '15) Researchers use bacteria to convert solar energy into liquid
fuel
Harvesting sunlight is a trick plants mastered more than a
billion years ago, using solar energy to feed themselves from the air and water
around them in the process we know as photosynthesis.
Scientists have also figured out how to harness solar
energy, using electricity from photovoltaic cells to yield hydrogen that can be
later used in fuel cells. But hydrogen has failed to catch on as a practical
fuel for cars or for power generation in a world designed around liquid fuels.