Up until the middle of the twentieth century, people utilized root cellars
to keep food supplies cool and avoid spoilage in the summer and prevent
freezing in the winter. Not just root crops like potatoes, turnips, carrots,
and beets, root cellars stored the autumn harvest of families vegetable
gardens and seeds for the spring plantings. Along with the canned/pickled/
preserved vegetables, meats, and fruit, also the salt preserved fish and
meats, and last but not least the alcoholic beverages.

It was used on a daily basis for milk, butter, cream and bread to allow these
items to be used more than once. Before the dawn of electricity, it was quite
literally the home’s food pantry and refrigerator. (more…)

What is the purpose of termites?…

Those incredibly destructive little creatures have the potential to benefit
humans in the production of biofuels. Or more precisely, the bacteria in
their stomachs. Termites process the wood they ingest in a series of stomachs,
each with a distinct set of bacteria.  Those bugs within bugs release enzymes
that break down cellulose, the sugar chains in wood, into acetate, a fatty
acid that provides the termite’s energy. Scientists with the Joint Genome
Institute at the U.S. Department of Energy, hope to develop a process to
harness the power of these bacteria on an industrial scale to break cellulose
down into ethanol and provide biofuel without using food crops as a source. (more…)