How the prickly pear cactus inspired a scientist seeking alternatives to fossil fuels

In parts of Texas, the prickly pear cactus is everywhere — potted outside coffee shops, dotting the side of the road, poking out of cracks in the sidewalk. It also lines the pathways of the University of Texas at El Paso campus, including the path where Navid Attarzadeh, a materials engineer, has made the trek to his office for years. And every day on his walk he’d pass a prickly pear cactus, come rain, come shine, or a lot of shine. On the day I caught up with Attarzadeh, the temperature topped out at 110 degrees.

It was intense desert heat like this that got Attarzadeh thinking. As the seasons changed, he noticed that even in the face of blistering heat and blustery winds, the prickly pear fruit didn’t budge or dry out, due to the plant’s unique structure. “Usually fruits are connected to branches,” he said, “but here we have the fruit connected to leaves. And that is amazing.”