Algae to Power Jets? Video -- National Geographic

Algae to Power Jets? Video October 2, 2008—Research is underway to turn algae into biodiesel that developers hope could eventually fuel jet airplanes.Welcome to the National Geographic video player.Video Sections

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- "Cradle of Civilization" in Peril - April 21, 2009—Iraq's southern marshes were largely restored after Saddam Hussein drained them following the 1991 Gulf War. But now a drought threatens the ancient wetlands' recovery.
- "Most Endangered Mammal" Filmed - March 6, 2009—In a rare video, mother and baby Javan rhinos have been captured in a mud pool. With only about 60 surviving, the elusive rhino is said to be the world's most endangered mammal.
- $20-Million Contest Announced - April 2, 2008—Scotland plans to award 10 million pounds (about 20 million U.S. dollars) for the first viable technology to harness the sea's energy for electricity.
- "Extinct" Beavers Back in U.K. - June 1, 2009—After 400 years beavers are once again gnawing at British branches. But because hunting made native beavers regionally extinct, the new generation had to be shipped in from Norway.
- "Grunting" Worms to the Surface - June 25, 2009—In a Florida forest, worm "grunters" use an unusual technique to catch earthworms to sell for bait.
- "Ugly" Salamander, New Frog Found - June 16, 2009—A bug-eyed salamander and a colorful poison frog are among 12 species possibly new to science recently found in the mountains of Ecuador.
- 'Giant Fish' Faces Big Trouble in China - September 11, 2007—Join biologist Zeb Hogan of the National Geographic Society's Megafishes Project as he explores the threats facing the giant Chinese sturgeon and the efforts underway to save it.
- 'Shark Island' Swarms With Jaws - October 24, 2008— Costa Rica's Cocos Island National Park, nicknamed 'Shark Island,' has what might be the highest concentration of sharks anywhere. But even here, sharks are vulnerable.
- 16th-Century Convent "Reappears" - September 2, 2009—Low water levels at a southern Mexico reservoir have revealed the remains of a 16th-century convent submerged when the lake was created 40 years ago.
- Airliner Flies on Plant Fuel - December 31, 2008—Air New Zealand says a test flight Tuesday was the first commercial-jet journey to use a fuel that is equal parts biofuel and standard jet fuel.
- Alaska Volcano Threatens Terminal - March 25, 2009—Mud and ash flows from Alaska's Redoubt Volcano are threatening a terminal storing millions of gallons of oil. Geologists expect the volcano to remain active for some time.
- Albatross Fall for Fish Bait - December 19, 2007—The magnificent, poet-inspiring sea bird is under serious threat, and fishhooks are a key problem. Conservationists say 17 of the 24 albatross species face extinction.
- Algae to Power Jets? - October 2, 2008—Research is underway to turn algae into biodiesel that developers hope could eventually fuel jet airplanes.
- Alpine Frog Bred in Australia - August 4, 2009—"We don't think they are poisonous, but they certainly taste bad," an ecologist says of Australia's corroboree frog, an endangered species that has now been successfully bred in captivity.
- Amazon Forest Burned - October 1, 2008—Amazon forests in Brazil are shrinking three times faster than in 2007, officials say. A key culprit is the national government itself, according to reports.
- Animal Dung Fuels Gas Stoves - October 10, 2008—In Ethiopia, farmers are being taught how to use livestock dung as a renewable energy source to create gas for cooking.
- Antarctic Survey's Stunning Species - December 2, 2008—Scientists have discovered that islands near Antarctica's main peninsula harbor more species than even the Galápagos Islands, the experts claim.
- Antarctica Images Best Yet - November 28, 2007—A nearly cloudless satellite image is the most geographically accurate and true-color map of the southern continent—at ten times the resolution of previous NASA views.
- Arctic Ice in "Death Spiral" - September 17, 2008—NASA animations show dramatic Arctic ice melt again in 2008, which saw the second smallest Arctic sea ice cover on record, scientists announced this week.
- Arctic Ice Thinner, Smaller - April 7, 2009—New reports show ice in Antarctica continues melting at an advanced rate in summer months, and ice in the Arctic region is re-forming at a slower rate in winter months.
- Atlantis Volcano Devastated Ancient Egypt? - April 4, 2007—See the freshly uncovered evidence that may prove ancient cities on Egypt and Palestine's coast were devastated by a massive Mediterranean volcanic eruption.
- Australia Fires Rage, Leap, Ruin - February 9, 2009—Drought, extreme heat, and possibly arson contributed to devastating wildfires in Australia that have killed at least 130 people.
- Baboons "Raiding" Cape Town - July 24, 2009—As suburbs consume baboon habitat, the cheeky monkeys have been raiding homes and garbage bins for food, prompting residents to fight back—some with guns, others with community education.
- Baby Sales Among Threats to Monkey - October 31, 2008— Already threatened by deforestation, rare Peruvian yellow-tailed woolly monkeys face doom as their babies are sold for a few dollars and their genital hair is taken as a trophy.
- Big "Transsexual" Fish in Peril - July 13, 2009—A favorite of divers in Australia, the blue groper grows to about three feet (one meter) long and can change its own sex. But its numbers are diving, and researchers are trying to throw the groper a lifeline.
- Biggest Trout Fished in Asia - November 13, 2007—Fishing the world's largest trout, Mongolia's taimen, is encouraged—to help save it.
- Boat Alarm Could Save Manatees - June 4, 2009—Manatees can't hear the low sounds of boat engines, which is why the animals are frequently injured, a researcher says. A high-pitched alarm could solve the problem.
- Boxes to Save Penguin Chicks? - April 2, 2009—African penguins, or jackass penguins—the only penguins to breed on the African continent—are dwindling in number, mainly because of pollution and overfishing. Now conservationists hope a fiberglass box can help penguin chicks survive.
- Cemetery Is Solar Source - December 8, 2008—Near Barcelona, Spain, a large solar power plant is in an unlikely location: a cemetery.
- Cheetahs Return to Zebra Park - November 8, 2008— For 70 years, zebras at South Africa's Mountain Zebra National Park have had few predators. But now, conservationists are reintroducing cheetahs to the landscape.
- Chicken Feathers to Build Houses - October 8, 2008—A Philippine scientist has developed wallboard using chicken feathers. He says it could replace traditional woodchip wallboard used in construction.
- Chocolate to Save Forests? - March 19, 2008—Destruction of Dominican Republic forests could be offset by farmers growing organic cacao used for chocolate.
- Christmas Lights Dazzle Sydney - December 24, 2008—Spectacular displays of Christmas lights draw thousands of spectators in Sydney, Australia.
- Clay Eating Discouraged - November 8, 2007—Poverty and tradition drive some Haitians to eat cakes of clay, salt, and butter. Nutritionists fight local beliefs about the dish's merits.
- Climate Drives Nomads to Cities - February 21, 2008—Mongolia's harsher, less predictable, and increasingly warmer weather is helping to drive a migration of nomadic herders from the steppe into cities.
- Colored Solar Panels Touted - September 14, 2009—A "green" technology company has developed jewel-toned solar panels that capture different parts of the sun's light spectrum and don't need direct sunlight to work, the company says.
- Coral "Triangle" Launched - September 1, 2009—See undersea worlds that stand to be lost—and that six Southeast Asian governments are trying to save with their new Coral Triangle initiative to protect coastal reefs.
- Cuba Gets Green Cred - November 14, 2008—Cuba is the only country that meets the criteria for sustainable development from the conservation group WWF. But concern persists for once thriving Caribbean marine turtles.
- Cutting Cows' Gas Emissions - October 24, 2008—Cow's emissions of methane, a greenhouse gas, can be reduced with a more natural diet, farmers are learning. Methane is a powerful contributor to global warming.
- Dead Sea Still Shrinking Fast - August 26, 2009—As the Dead Sea—really a giant freshwater lake—dramatically shrinks, Palestinian, Israeli, and Jordanian environmentalists have begun to devise ways to slow the decline.
- Deep Eruption, Odd Shrimp Seen - May 7, 2009—For the first time, scientists have caught a fast-growing, 12-story underwater volcano erupting—along with odd creatures evolved to survive its toxic emissions.
- Deep Sea Robo-Help - November 26, 2008—Scientists searching the depths of the ocean for undiscovered marine life off the coast of Maine get help from a well-equipped robot.
- Deep Sea Robo-Help - November 26, 2008—Scientists searching the depths of the ocean for undiscovered marine life off the coast of Maine get help from a well-equipped robot.
- Deforestation Fear in Indonesia - October 21, 2008—The environmental group Greenpeace warns that if Indonesia doesn't eliminate rapid deforestation in the country, its forests could be gone in 10 years.
- Desperate Maasai Feed Cows Trash - December 17, 2008—Climate change is threatening the way of life for Africa's Maasai herders—even forcing some to take their cattle to feed at garbage dumps.
- Dingoes Go Far for "Love" - March 18, 2009—Unless they're looking for mates, Australian dingoes, wild native dogs, don't roam as far as previously thought, new research shows.
- Dogs Save Cheetahs - March 26, 2009—Dogs are used to protect sheep and other livestock from the cheetahs in Africa&8212;thereby saving the big cats from potential shootings by aggrieved farmers.
- Dogs vs. Rabbits in Eco-War - October 1, 2008—Springer spaniels are training to do battle to save an Australian island from a rabbit boom. The rabbits are destroying vegetation, thereby threatening other species.
- Doomed New Orleans - September 21, 2005—For years man-made changes to the landscape of New Orleans have affected how well it could withstand the wrath of a powerful storm.
- Dozens of Beached Whales Rescued - March 2, 2009—More than a hundred residents of an Australian island pitched in to help save dozens of pilot whales and bottlenose dolphins that had stranded on a beach Sunday night.
- Dung Heaps Tell Climate Story - September 4, 2009—Rock rabbit dung heaps in Africa—some dating back tens of thousands of years—are time capsules of climate and vegetation information.
- Electricity Still "New" for Tribe - May 18, 2009—Tribespeople in northwestern Taiwan had no electricity until the late 1970s and even more recently carried flaming torches at night. But now a research institute has upgraded their lighting systems.
- Epic U.S. Antelope Trek, Up Close - August 13, 2009—America's longest annual migrations, which is increasingly threatened by fences and highways.
- Erosion Eating Away Beach Town - March 11, 2009—In a West African village, the sea is consuming an average of three to six feet (one to two meters) of land a year.
- Explosions May Save Wetlands - October 31, 2007—The Nature Conservancy has blasted through 1950s-era levees in the Williams River Delta in southern Oregon to save the wetlands and endangered fish species.
- Extreme Lengths Keep Wild Cats Wild - May 8, 2009—At a Brazilian wild cat conservation center, experts go to extremes to keep rare cats from going tame—from hiding food to smearing chicken blood.
- Final Ride on Wild China River? - April 23, 2009—An adventure ride down a section of China's Yangtze River could be the last before planned hydroelectric dams flood the rapids and alter the landscape.
- Fire Ants "Attacked" From Air - August 11, 2009—Sarah Palin isn't the only one who supports hunting from a helicopter. The Australian government is using choppers with heat sensors to scour the land for invasive fire ants.
- Flash Flood Traps Drivers on Roofs - September 9, 2009—Dramatic video shows people trapped on bus and van rooftops as a raging flash flood inundates a busy Istanbul, Turkey, roadway. More than 28 are reported dead in related flooding.
- Flooding Hits Bangladesh - August 27, 2009—As monsoons and cyclones worsen due to climate change in the South Asian country, many coastal peoples are migrating to drier cities.
- Fossils Alter Warming Predictions? - January 30, 2009—Fossil samples taken from the coast of New Zealand provide a 50 million-year-old weather record that may change they way scientists think about climate change predictions.
- Frogs Combat Deadly Fever? - July 7, 2009—An Argentine official is suggesting people adopt mosquito-munching frogs—not chemicals— as a solution to an outbreak of the disease dengue fever, which is spread by the insects.
- Giant Air Purifier Installed - March 5, 2009—A giant air purifier was installed recently along a busy street in Lima, Peru. Its makers claim it can clear carbon dioxide from 200,000 cubic meters of air each day, the equivalent of 1,200 trees.
- Giving Fish a Bath - December 19, 2008—Biologists literally give fish a bath to try and eliminate parasites in the sea near a coral reef in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
- Glacial Loss Spurs Warning - September 10, 2009—As officials meet in Denmark to prepare for the successor to the Kyoto Protocol, scientists in the Danish territory of Greenland warn of accelerated glacial loss, which could boost sea levels.
- Glacier Kills Brothers - January 9, 2009—Two Australian tourists were killed when giant chunks of ice slid off New Zealand's Fox Glacier. The brothers had ventured into an off-limits zone.
- Global Warming Good for Sharks? - October 16, 2008—Warmer waters around Antarctica could actually benefit a threatened population of gray nurse—or sand tiger—sharks, scientists say.
- Google Earth Ocean Preview - February 3, 2009—A new ocean update to Google Earth allows users to dive underwater, see ocean topography, and watch regions change over time.
- Grand Canyon Skywalk - April 13, 2007—See what it's like to walk on a glass walkway 4,000 feet (1,220 meters) above the canyon floor in this un-narrated video.
- Grisly Wildlife Trade Exposed - February 25, 2008—An activist uses a video camera to expose what many would consider a grisly illegal wildlife trade in Myanmar. Warning: graphic imagery.

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