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Craig Venter Gets to Work on Saving the World with Algae

Jul 15, 2009

Craig Venter's company, Synthetic Genomics, has struck a deal with ExxonMobil to develop biofuels from algae. Under the $600 million partnership, SGI will develop fuels that cars and planes can use without having a modified engine. A new facility will be built in San Diego to house ponds and bioreactors for the algae. "We will be trying out these different approaches … using newly-discovered natural algae to test the best approaches we can come up with to go into a scale-up mode," Venter says in the Guardian.

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The Scan

Guidelines for Ancient DNA Work

More than two dozen researchers have developed new ethical guidelines for conducting ancient DNA research, which they present in Nature.

And Cleared

A UK regulator has cleared former UK Prime Minister David Cameron in concerns he should have registered as a consultant-lobbyist for his work with Illumina, according to the Financial Times.

Suit Over Allegations

The Boston Globe reports that David Sabatini, who was placed on leave from MIT after allegations of sexual harassment, is suing his accuser, the Whitehead Institute, and the institute's director.

Nature Papers on Esophageal Cancer, Origin of Modern Horses, Exome Sequencing of UK Biobank Participants

In Nature this week: genetic and environmental influences of esophageal cancer, domestic horse origin traced to Western Eurasian steppes, and more.