Since I'm in exile from the LA jacarandas (though the Dallas crepe myrtles are lovely), I appreciate the photos on Grace Peng's blog. Grace also sends this addendum to my Timescolumn on container shipping:
In addition to container shipping, advances in polymers also fueled
the increase in container shipping of produce. In the ~late eighties,
a polymer was created that allowed the cheap (in energy and $)
separation of nitrogen and oxygen. Produce would be shipped in
nitrogen-filled containers that did not require refrigeration.
As a working scientist, I always like to point out the ways in which
science research leads to far-reaching consequences.
