Fresh Flowers, Fresh Fruit
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 Times column 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.