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Microorganisms Trained to Poop Terpenes

Scientists have “trained” some microorganisms to poop terpenes, including many of the most common terpenes normally found in cannabis.  These microorganisms include bacteria, fungi, algae, and even cutworm larvae, but E. coli is the champion of biotransformation, with scientists engineering these common bacteria to produce several different monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes as “waste” products.  However, although this may sound weird and surprising to some, this isn’t a new technology; researchers have been working on these projects for decades. Continue reading “Microorganisms Trained to Poop Terpenes”

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Terpenes: The Most-Spoken Language in the World

Move over, English; Terpenes are by far the world’s biggest communication medium.  Used by plants, insects, fungi, and bacteria to communicate and interact with the world, terpenes are a type of language that can be easily understood across species and kingdoms.  In fact, if you were to lump all the man-made languages of earth together, the language of terpenes would still dwarf this collection.  The following article is an excerpt from The Big Book of Terps, by Hudson & Lund, PhD. Continue reading “Terpenes: The Most-Spoken Language in the World”

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Terpene-Powered Cars on the Horizon

A growing body of research indicates that the fuel of the future may be terpenes.  Already tested in internal and external combustion engines, turbocharged engines, as jet fuel, and as octane boosters, a group of 7 terpenes – all of which are common in cannabis – have shown real promise that petroleum-based fuels could eventually be replaced by these natural, renewable compounds.  This article supports the idea that, one day soon, we might burn more terpenes in our cars than we do in our bongs.  Continue reading “Terpene-Powered Cars on the Horizon”

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Terpenes Preserved for Millions of Years in Underwater Wood

In a natural testament to the stability of some terpenes, scientists have yielded a monoterpenoid and a sesquiterpene from ancient conifer trees that had been submerged for millions of years.  Both of these terpenes were found in unaltered condition, although tests showed that other, more volatile monoterpenes did not fare as well in the anerobic underwater environment. Continue reading “Terpenes Preserved for Millions of Years in Underwater Wood”