【英语时差8,16】蘑菇也能变为柴油？（在线收听）

 Don: Time to go again to the A Moment of Science mailbag. Yaël: A listener writes: Dear A Moment of Science, Scientists know that one day we'll run out of oil and other natural sources of energy. Beyond solar power and wind power and ethanol, what are some other potential alternative energy sources? D: Excellent question. Of course, wind and solar power are valuable technologies, even though they're not close to the point of being able to replace fossil fuels as our main energy source. So scientists are always on the lookout for other possibilities. Y: A plant scientist named Gary Strobel discovered a very interesting and unusual possibility: a South American fungus that makes chemical compounds found in diesel fuel. The fungus lives and feeds on cellulose, a material found in things like wheat, barley, straw, leaves---basically almost any plant material. The fungus breaks down cellulose, and then somehow converts it to the diesel-like chemical. D: It's not yet clear if the fungus can be cultivated on a large scale and used to produce actual fuel to power cars and planes and everything else that burns fuel. That will take more research into the fungus. But it's a promising find. The world is full of a nearly unlimited amount of renewable plant waste material like leaves and straw and other things the fungus needs to thrive. If the fungus does pan out as a way to make fuel, it could play an important role in helping to solve the world's energy problems.