TWO students at the University of California, Berkeley, pour jugs of a thick, dark liquid onto the steps of the campus administration building. Wearing lab coats emblazoned with the BP logo, they shout at passers-by to “start getting used to oil”.
This was the scene last month, as protesters chanting “No BP!” opposed a deal between industry and academia to develop new biofuels. Admittedly, it was a dim echo of the 1960s, when Berkeley was the global epicentre of student revolt. Still, this humble demonstration was a reminder that the radical spirit lives on. Berkeley is a scientific powerhouse with a political conscience, where even an…
