OPINION: As the West gets drier, the humble pear cactus may be Nevada's savior

From alarming global warming predictions to the perennially dour drought conditions, the daily news cycle offers no shortage of environmental gloom. Polluting humans are reaping what they sow at an increasing pace, but by now that's barely news at all – especially in the West. Under the weight of that dismal forecast, I recently met someone who brightened my day. His name is John Cushman. He is a professor in the Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology & Biotechnology at UNR. His scientific research has been varied over a career approaching its fourth decade, but what motivates him holds the potential to improve agriculture efficiency in an arid climate and address two pressing environmental issues: increasing water scarcity and rising levels of atmosphere-warming CO2. You might say the humble pear cactus (Opuntia, by its scientific name) is the apple of his well-trained eye.

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