Image via Eurekalert, Credit: Courtesy of Jeremy Agresti, Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences Just a bit smaller than an iPod Nano, a new pocket-sized laboratory could revolutionize the way biofuels are discovered. The device - a "microfluidic sorting device" - can sort enzymes and compounds about 1,000 times faster than the larger equipment in use today, and thus can sniff out potential for new microbe-based biofuels much faster, cheaper and more energy efficiently, than ever before. ...Read the full story on TreeHugger

Image via Gizmodo If you'd like to know just when enough is enough in the shower, but you don't want to go the route of a system that just shuts off the water and leaves you with soap in your eye, or worse, surrounds you in claustrophobia-inducing inflated bubbles, then the more subtle waterpebble might be the solution for you. By monitoring how much water heads down the drain, it let's you know when you've crossed over into water-waster mode. Eve...Read the full story on TreeHugger

Image via Magtenlight The time change isn't here quite yet, which means many of us are still riding our bikes home in the dark after work. A bright bike light is therefore a must, and there are a lot of systems available that gather a charge while cycling. The newest one is a system that hooks up to your bike wheel but is entirely frictionless, relying instead on magnetism. ...Read the full story on TreeHugger

Image credit: Smart Log Splitter From effective masonry heaters to beautiful Danish wood stoves, the Scandinavians know a thing or two about heating with wood. And as Collin stated in his post on wood stoves vs pellet stoves, with trees being a near carbon neutral source of energy, efficient wood burn...Read the full story on TreeHugger

Image credit: The Robin Hood Tax The UK's top bankers may be using G-Wiz electric cars to get around these days, but that's not enough to make them popular. In fact there is as much public anger over bank bailouts in the UK as there is in the US. And while higher taxes may, in general, be a tough sell—taxing bank profits may be a little more palatable to your average man on the street. That's why activists are calling for a Robin Hood Tax on speculative banking transactions, and they want to use that money...Read the full story on TreeHugger