BYTES

biofuel promise: Scientists have completed the first genome sequence of the black cottonwood, a tall and fast-growing poplar tree. Researchers have identified more than 45,000 protein-coding genes. These genes could be specifically selected through traditional plant breeding to efficiently produce the kind of cellulose needed to make biofuel production cost-effective and efficient. The potential for farms of biofuel-production poplars would come with added environmental benefits