Tagged: science

Most Americans use electricity, gas or oil to heat and cool their homes. But the small city of Brainerd, Minn., is turning to something a bit less conventional: the sewer.

As it turns out, a sewer — the place where a city's hot showers, dishwashing water and organic matter end up — is a pretty warm place. That heat can generate energy — meaning a city's sewer system can hold tremendous potential for heating and cooling.

It's just that unexpected energy source that Brainerd hopes to exploit.

Native Americans and Pilgrims were onto something when they turned to cranberries as an infection fighter. American settlers believed the bitter food could stave off scurvy. But there's more than just Vitamin C in this indigenous berry.

The LSU AgCenter says a sugarcane fungus new to Louisiana has been identified in two fields. It's called orange rust.

Plant pathologist Jeff Hoy says sugarcane experts had expected the wind-borne fungus earlier since it was first identified in the United States five years ago in Florida.

Researchers and extension agents are checking other fields to see if they are infected.

Orange rust is native to Asia.