Oil from Diatoms (broadcast Friday, June 26th, 2009)

50 species of diatoms. Photo by Randolph Femmer, courtesy National Biological Information Infrastructure.

Algae-based biofuels are being actively studied as an energy source. But writing in the journal Industrial & Engineering Chemical Research, scientists look to refine that process, engineering diatoms to actively produce and excrete oil products for industrial harvesting. "Secretion by and milking of diatoms may provide a way around the puzzle of how to make algae that both grow quickly and have a very high oil content," they say. In this segment, we'll talk about the research and what advantages it might bring to the field of alternative fuels.