But now, the car-maker is ridding itself from its typical construction in favour with going green.

At this week’s Geneva Motor Show, the company unveiled their newest creation: the Ferrari 599. This 200mph electric hybrid has been developed with the environment in mind.

Ferrari’s classic performance, combined with its notable good looks, is married to a pollution and fuel consumption cutting initiative, making their brand just a little greener.

The vehicle is equipped with an electric motor that backs up a more traditional 6.0-litre V12 petrol engine. The typical two-seater design will accelerate from 0-60mph in 3.5 seconds (which, by the way, is faster than its standard counterpart) and to 125mph in 10.4 seconds.

The electric part of the hybrid system also comes into play with braking, taking the energy that is often wasted from putting on the breaks and using it to recharge the batteries. This, then, can move the car simply by electric power.

Carbon dioxide emissions are cut to 270g/km, which is a 35% reduction on conventional models. The company also claims that it is expected to do up to 25 miles to the gallon (petrol- only versions, on the other hand, can do just under 16mpg).

The company’s aim is to harness this green technology as an option in all its cars by 2015, a must with today’s environmental targets to cut CO2 emissions.

It does have a price though. The 599 seems that it will cost twice as much as the £207,000 petrol 559 GTB Fiorano (it’s conventional counterpart). But the company assumes that by time the technology is mainstream, the price will come down to below £300,000.

See other cars unveiled at the 80th International Motor Show’s website. The show runs March 4th through 14th in Geneva.

Images courtesy of carspyshots.net

Also, be sure to check out aluminum radiator manufacturer Mishimoto, who has recently announced their green plan to reduce wasteful packaging by 75%!

As you take a bite of your linguine in a simple marinara, the underlying flavours are the ones to shine through: the rich, plump tomatoes, hint of garlic, and fresh, fragrant herbs – not to be superimposed with a slew of seeds.

Previous protocol was a several-step sequence:

1. Cut the tomato in half, side to side, NOT top to bottom.
2. If you cut it correctly, proceed to step three. If not, try to figure out the rest yourself with your mangled tomato.
3. Gently squeeze the tomato or scrape out the seeds with a small knife or your finger. Be careful to save as much tomato as you can. This can take a bit.
4. Remove the compartment walls if stuffed. Otherwise, just dice it.

Yes, it doesn’t appear as a lengthy process (per tomato), but during tomato season when they are deliciously abundant, the minutes add up – and better enjoyed out in the sun.

Enter the Sweet Seedless Hybrid, the world’s first seedless tomato. Say goodbye to bitter seeds and bite into a fresh fruit that promises easy digestibility and  superior taste due to the MIA seeds that would normally store up sweetness.

Medium in size and bright red in hue, I am picturing swiftly slicing my serrated chef’s knife through an abundance of them from my (currently slow-covered) garden, making their way into a slow-simmering pot of fresh pasta sauce.

Visit Burpee for more information about planting these seedless sweets in your garden this summer.

Image courtesy of Burpee

The old debate

The controversy began with a 2001 article in the journal Nature, which explained that genetic material was detected in native Mexican corn. With crops thousands of years old, genetic modification threatens preserving the native genetic diversity.  The article was widely criticized due to the study’s methodology, and soon after, Nature added an editor’s note explaining that there was not enough evidence to justify the article and the findings.

Another article four years later was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and consequently found no evidence of genetic modifications.

The new findings

With debates still reigning, author Elena Alvarez Buylla continued to explore the crops, doing additional research and testing, to see if she could lend a hand in solving the debates… and finding the truth. Using much bigger samples, more genetic tests, and different techniques, her studies paid off: she soon discovered that the corn did, indeed, show contamination. What she also found was a possible answer to why there have been contrasting discoveries: depending on the location, the amount of contamination differed from 0% up to 10%.

Some journals declined to publish her research, due to drawing, what they decided was, unneeded attention to the debate. Regardless, these findings are significant – and in fact, help solve the previous issues.
Molecular Ecology luckily felt differently, understanding it’s scientific importance, and Buylla was able to put some controversies at rest.

The results

But questions still remain: Where is this genetic contamination coming from? Are there sources of imported hybrid corn? How is it spread?

Buylla commented that now that these discoveries have been made, science, and time, will tell. Undoubtedly, her research has only begun.

Source: Mother Nature Network
Image courtesy of equityenergyresources.com

The folks at Bright have harnessed onto the idea that we need to have a new approach to transportation; our gas guzzling vehicles clearly aren’t cutting it. They’re focused on exploring options that focus on energy independence and the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions.

The Bright vehicle will  run all-electric for 30 miles, then switches into hybrid mode for 400 miles. To achieve this, the company combines low-energy tactics and structure, using the utmost platform efficiency.

Their presented platform describes their aims; among them to reduce aerodynamic drag (the energy used pushing air out of the way), tire drag (the energy used from the friction of the tires to the road), and vehicle mass (lighter cars need less fuel).

They also employ PHEV technology in their smaller and less expensive 1.6 liter, four-cylinder engine, electric motor and lithium-ion battery pack, which will significantly reduce CO2 emissions and petroleum use.

Developed with recycled and sustainable materials and manufactured using environmentally friendly methods, their vehicles are good for the consumer and the planet.

The hybrid vehicle should be available in the model year 2013, with a 30,000 car production goal in the first year.

And what does it look like? They’ve only offered a teaser.

Stay updated at: brightautomotive.com

The tracking tool also allows you to compare it with the ratings that are found in the EnerGuide Fuel Consumption Guide, as well as with other drivers, both in general and specific to your vehicle.

You can log-in as a guest for a one-time calculation, or register with a username to keep track for the long-term.

Once you log in, enter your vehicle information, and then plug in the amounts: the date, odometer reading, litres consumed, fuel cost, and driving conditions.

For those who tend to make an assumption about their consumption, you might

find this a handy tracking device to keep up-to-speed with the gallons you guzzle.

To try the program yourself, click here.

To explore fuel consumption ratings, click here.

Image courtesy of Toyota.ca and Office of Energy Efficiency