News stories by Enrique Gili* - IPS/IFEJ

It's the world's worst-kept secret: bees are in a state of crisis. One of nature's most benign pollinators is dying in record numbers, much to the alarm of beekeepers and gardeners.

Stephen Mayfield, the recently appointed director of the University of California at San Diego's Algae Biotechnology lab, is taking on a Texas-sized challenge - giving birth to a nascent alternative energy industry.

Driving through Tijuana and long stretches of northern Baja, conservationist Zach Plopper loves his job but hates the commute.

Inside the confines of a modest 275-square-metre office space in this southern California city, the human imagination is running wild.