Bio-Based Ideas

It's not often that I get to talk about what is actually happening at my own company which in many ways makes posting about what I really care about even harder. But as it turns out, today, I don't actually need to say much about all the exciting science, and development going on at Amyris. I don't have to because a New York Times article recently talking about all the great things happening at Amyris - with some things being more speculative than others. The article did such a good job explaining in layman's terms what it is that Amyris is doing, that I am just going to link the article to this blog article and call it "In Other Words". I recommend everyone reading this: What's that smell. Exotic Scents Made From Re-engineered Yeast

It's great to hear how people are thinking about using supply chains to have a positive impact on the environment. This is just great! I will let him speak.

Computational sciences at the interface of a hard science are gaining in importance as shown by the recent Nobel Price in chemistry awarded this year. I also recently read two more commentaries that appeared in Nature and Nature Biotechnology that I found interesting.

Quick note to myself: Yesterday was a great day! The 2013 Nobel Prize was awarded to three professors: Professor Martin Karplus, of the University and Strasbourg and Havard University , professor Michael Levitt, of Stanford University, and professor Arieh Warshel, of the University of Southern California. This is great for several reasons: Firstly, USC is my Alma mater. USC now has 4 Nobel Prize holders over its life time and two over just the last 20 or so years! So go Trojans! Secondly, this is the first time I am aware of that a Nobel Prize went to a computational science related field for being able to merge quantum- and Newtonian-physics model into one coherent computer model enabling researchers to understand how chemical reactions happen in molecules of different complexities. I think this underlines the increasing importance that computers play in solving increasingly complicated problems.

Oh boy, it has been too long since I last posted here. It's time to get the cycle started again. Today's post falls into the category of sustainable living. My current shoes are getting old. Living in a free-market society, I thought that every dollar spent is like a vote that the consumer casts. I also thought that shoes these days are not very sustainable: all those volatile organic vapors, all those synthetic materials that don't break down. So I was wondering if there is a way to buy more sustainable products. Many sports wear companies are realizing that people with healthy life styles desire products that reflect their values. I first found a site that ranks these companies according to a standardized list of questions (http://www.rankabrand.org/sportswear-sports-shoes/New+Balance). From there, I found that PUMA is leading the pack. This is not necessarily a company endorsement, but as I was trying to explore shoes that are more sustainable, I came across this video t...