Asteroids and comets that pummeled the solar system billions of years ago may have jump-started life on Earth with an intense zap of energy. The jolt given off by such explosive impacts would have been strong enough to spark the formation of genetic molecules, scientists report December 8 in

Our electronic gadgets are notoriously difficult to recycle and have created waste problems few know how to deal with. The challenges of breaking down electronics begin with their plastic encasement: It is tedious to take apart, yet hazardous to burn or melt. Now researchers report that they have

After a two-and-a-half year ocean journey, radioactive contamination from the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan has drifted to within 160 kilometers of the California coast, according to a new study. But the radiation levels are minuscule and do not pose a threat, researchers say. Shortly after

When Canada switched on its Boundary Dam power plant earlier this month, it signaled a new front in the war against climate change. The commercial turbine burns coal, the dirtiest of fossil fuels, but it traps nearly all the resulting carbon dioxide underground before it reaches the atmosphere.

Lithium-ion batteries power our laptops, cellphones, and electric cars. They are compact and rechargeable, but with a significant drawback: Occasionally, the batteries burst into flames. In 2013, Boeing grounded an entire fleet of planes after the lithium-ion batteries on two aircrafts caught fire.