The European Extremely Large Telescope will outsize the U.S. entries in its class, the Thirty Meter Telescope and the Giant Magellan Telescope, by a fair margin, with a primary mirror 42 meters in diameter.

The biofuels drive is just one of several factors that are increasing the demand for corn and other crops. Seed companies are responding by creating seed varieties able to tolerate drought, which could be particularly useful in reducing water demand in areas dependent on declining groundwater reserves.