The $60 Billion Potential Hiding in Your Discarded Gadgets
Rich nations mine just a fraction of e-waste, leaving $60 billion a year in critical metals wasting away in boxes and drawers. But in West Africa, a dangerous recycling work is thriving.
The Lion, the Polygamist, and the Biofuel Scam
How a member of a breakaway Mormon sect teamed up with a Lambo-driving, hard-partying tycoon to bilk the government for hundreds of millions of dollars.
5 Weird Concepts to (Theoretically) Supercharge Mask Fabrics
From diamonds to salt, researchers are exploring novel materials for face coverings. But don't expect to see these far-out ideas in stores anytime soon.
The Ultra-Pure, Super-Secret Sand That Makes Your Phone Possible
The processor that makes your laptop or cell phone work was fabricated using quartz from this obscure Appalachian backwater.
Fukushima’s Other Big Problem: A Million Tons of Radioactive Water
More than 1 million tons of radiation-laced water is already being kept on-site in an ever-expanding forest of hundreds of hulking steel tanks.
No Job for Humans: The Robot Assault on Fukushima
The 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan triggered a devastating catastrophe in one of the country’s largest nuclear power plants. The cleanup will take decades, and it’s no job for humans.