Scientific American: A Venezuelan oil minister once referred to his country's main export as the "devil's excrement." Well see how the death of Hugo Chavez affects production levels of this Faustian fuelwhich influences both the global oil market and the climate.
Venezuelas oil has problematic qualities. The thick, tar-like oil requires extra heat to flow. Once finally on the move, it's fed to refineries where the heavy oil must be what the engineers call "cracked." That chemical process removes excess carbon...