Problem Solved: Panda Poop & Biofuels

The waste of one of the world’s most endangered animals may hold the key to producing biofuels. Brown and grad student Candace Williams discovered something amazing in panda excrement. They analyzed the fresh feces of bamboo-eating pandas at the Memphis Zoo. They found microbes in panda droppings break down super-tough plant materials — grasses, corn stalks and wood chips. “Once you have the bacteria you can grow them outside of the intestinal track of the panda,” Brown said. Eventually the scientists want to try engineering the digestive enzymes on a large scale so plant waste could be used to make biofuels, instead of relying on food crops like corn. “Being able to produce a biofuel from two waste products is pretty incredible,” Williams said...more

Looks like one of those new "green jobs" may be recycling Chinese bear shit.

It's probably the reason behind this recent crime spree: Men accused of stealing $60,000 in toilet paper.