With royal fanfare, British Petroleum just donated big monies in research funds for UC Berkeley, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of Illinois to develop new sources of energy - primarily biotechnology to produce biofuel crops. This comes on the anniversary of Berkeley's hapless research deal with seed giant Novartis ten years ago. However, at half a billion dollars, the BP grant dwarfs Novartis' investment by a factor of ten. The graphics of the announcement were unmistakable: BP's corporate logo is perfectly aligned with the flags of the Nation, the State, and the University.

By Adam Brock (cross-posted from the Wild Green Yonder)