The blue whirl — a new way to burn fossil fuels?

Scientists at the University of Maryland have discovered a new type of flame that might be able to burn fossil fuels without producing soot.

It’s a very interesting development, and I find it somewhat surprising that we’re still discovering things like this. You’d think we would already know a lot about fire and combustion, but … who knows what’s lurking out there, yet to be discovered.

The reaction from environmentalists will be telling. You would hope they would say, “Great! We can reduce pollution from fossil fuels!” But the more likely reaction will be, “This is awful. It minimizes the incentive to shift away from fossil fuels, and just keeps that awful industry going.”