Within the sludge of wastewater treatment plants is an invisible world teeming with microbes. Here, diverse species of bacteria convert solid and liquid wastes into gases, some of which contribute to global warming. Two Stanford University engineers are developing a new sewage treatment process that would actually increase the production of nitrous oxide (“laughing gas”) ... »

Although the potential benefits of the technology could have have been over-stated, and it could introduce the dangers posed by synthetic organisms, it is a scientific landmark that deserved to become an article in our archive. Scientists in the US have succeeded in developing the first living cell to be controlled entirely by synthetic DNA. ... »

It is estimated that there are between 15,000 and 20,000 annual casualties caused by landmines and unexploded explosive devices, according to the charity Handicap International. Some 87 countries contain minefields including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Somalia, Mozambique, Cambodia, Iraq and Afghanistan. Scientists have developed a simple, cheap, and yet accurate test to find undetected landmines. Students ... »