Researchers have suggested yet another source for bio-fuel.  This time, it's Texan mosquite -- the tree that is perhaps best known for its ability to lend that smoky flavour to an old-fashioned southern barbecue.  The proposal is currently published in the journal Nature [1].  The amazing thing is not so much that this plant, too, holds energy that could potentially harvested -- we all know from our childhood days that lots of different plants burn when you dry them -- no, the amazing thing is that these proposals still create such a stir. So far, none of the biofuels come close to offering a competitive alternative to conventional fuels in automobiles, but stories of turning weeds into gold are just too pleasing to pass by.  Congress is of course no exception -- In its bid to make the United States more energy independent, it has made hundreds of millions of dollars available for biofuel research.  Yet the  alternative energy sources that are proven to work and do indeed promise to be competitive in -- namely wind, solar, and hydro -- are still being largely ignored, with research expenditures smaller as a fraction of the whole market than R&D on dog food.  Regardless, read the new Nature article -- and hope that America's decision makers from the land of the Bushes and Shrubs probably don't try to jump on the Mosquite as a reason to funnel more federal money to farmers wanting to cut down trees for more cattle.  

 [1] M. Hopkin, Cooking up a smoky solution, Nature 13 (2007) (link)