Microbial enhanced oil recovery: literature survey http://www.clw.csiro.au/publications/science/2008/ WFO-MicrobialOilRecovery.pdf This report is well referenced and contains some general information on enhanced recovery techniques and biosurfactants. Oil spill: Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_spill This Wikipedia entry is a good starting point for information on oil spills. Parts of...

For almost a century, various predictions have been made that the human race was imminently going to run out of available petroleum. The passing of time has proven all those predictions to have been utterly wrong. It is pointed out here how all such predictions have depended fundamentally upon an archaic hypothesis from the 18th century that petroleum somehow (miraculously) evolved from biologi...

Yellow, red or orange carotenoid-based colorations in male birds are often a signal to prospecting females about body condition, health status and ability to find food. However, this general 'ability to find food' has never been defined. Here we show that more brightly ornamented individuals may also be more efficient when foraging in novel situations. The results highlight the fact that evolut...

A new semi-quantitative analytical method for mercury determination in gold prospecting areas, and 16 new local users, 5 in Itaituba-Brazil and 11 in ManadoIndonesia, were trained for using it as an alternative and low cost method for mercury determination in fish in August and September 2003. This experience demonstrated the spreading potential throughout those areas of such low-cost method an...

A PCR method suitable for the isolation of lipase genes directly from environmental DNA is described. The problems associated with the low levels of similarity between lipase genes were overcome by extensive analysis of conserved regions and careful primer design. Using this method, a lipase gene (oli-lipase) was isolated directly from environmental DNA. This lipase showed less than 20% similar...

– Magnetic signatures of urban structures. Understand water distribution in a megalopolis thanks to geophysics prospecting.