The big challenge of our time--more energy with a smaller environmental footprint--is leading to interesting intersections between biochemistry and energy production. 

The January 10 issue of Nature inclues a riviting paper, Crude-Oil Biogdegradation via Methanogenesis in Subsruface Petroleum Reservoirs, that describes a process for using microbes to turn tar sands into methane with a hydrogen byproduct.  With a large percentage of the planets oil trapped in low grade deposits, this could be a big deal.

Almost 30 years ago, I was contemplating a job in the oil shale fields of western Colorado.  The plan was to drill thousands of deep wells, inject steam and capture a trickle of oil that resulted.  At $20/barrel this didn't make much sense, but with oil prizes over $100/barrel, oil shale and tar sands are looking more attractive. 

The need for clean and affordable energy is driving a bio-energy revolution.  Prizes may help focus attention and investment.