Healing. Feeding. Fueling. That’s what biotechnology brings to the world on a daily basis:

HEAL: MOTHER OF ALL SKIN CELLS DISCOVERED – A team of Dutch and Swedish researchers say they’ve found the “mother” (or origin) of all skin cells, which actually lives in hair follicles. Word is that this discovery could dramatically improve skin treatments for victims of serious wounds and burns. Hans Clevers of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences in Utrecht elaborates:

“This is the mother of all the stem cells in the skin — it makes all the other stem cells. The same stem cells exist in humans, we can see them, and the promise is that these cells are probably going to be much better than anything we have had to date at making new skin. We are learning how to grow the mouse cells in culture. Once we know how to do this and can isolate the human variant, we should be able to grow human cells as well.”

FEED: TO BATTLE HUNGER, WORLD MUST EMBRACE BIOTECH CROPS – According to a new study by the National Center for Policy Analysis, the use of biotechnology to create genetically modified crops can meet the needs of a growing population, especially as the world’s population grows from 6 billion to approximately 9 billion people later this century:

Golden rice–or rice genetically altered to contain beta carotene and new genes to overcome iron deficiency–is preventing thousands of cases of childhood blindness and reducing anemia, according to the NCPA study. Additionally, through genetic modification, crops can be altered to improve various crops’ nutritional value and reduce the environmental impact of farming, which are very important factors as the population and demand for food grow, [NCPA senior fellow, H. Sterling] Burnett adds, noting the world will need to produce three times more food than is currently produced.

FUEL: DAIMLER INCREASES BIOFUEL PRESENCE IN INDIA – In India, Daimler AG is already known for its development of Jatropha biodiesel and its spectacular B100 cross-country test drives back in 2002. Now, they’re back in India launching a new jatropha plantation project for which it has already planted its first 100 hectares. It is working with village communities in Tamil Nadu, supplying both funds and expertise from its successfully completed research projects.

“One of our core tasks is the engineering of sustainable mobility that is also viable for the future” said Professor Herbert Kohler, VP of E-Drive & Future Mobility and Chief Environmental Officer of Daimler AG. “By promoting fuels made from jatropha, we are making yet another contribution. At the same time, by supporting village communities we are creating economic prospects for socially weak regions of this earth”.