This is today's edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what's going on in the world of technology. A $5 million prize awaits proof that quantum computers can ...

Whether it’s used batteries, solar panels, or spent nuclear fuel, getting use out of something destined for disposal sounds like a win all around. In nuclear energy, figuring out what to do with waste ...

Plastic is one of the most durable materials humans have ever made. That durability has made it indispensable in medicine, ...

An environmental engineer, he invented a biological method to remove nitrogen and phosphorous from wastewater, an advance that transformed the industry worldwide.

By harmonizing existing Clean Air Act regulations, EPA seeks to cut red tape for incinerators critical to wildfire prevention ...

The approach harnesses the power of bacteria to transform post-consumer plastic into L-DOPA, a frontline medication for the neurological disorder.

Plastic waste is becoming an increasing problem, with 50 million tonnes of single-use plastic being produced each year. Plastics are used in the packaging of food and drinks.

Scientists have discovered a way of making a drug for Parkinson’s disease from used plastic bottles, saying it shows how waste materials can be “reimagined as valuable resources”. Developed by a team ...

Watch a powerful industrial shredding machine process huge piles of mixed waste inside a recycling facility. These heavy machines are designed to break down large volumes of trash into smaller ...

Letters to the editors for the December 2025 issue of Scientific American ...

A drug to treat Parkinson’s disease can be made from waste plastic bottles using bacteria, a new study shows. Scientists at the University of Edinburgh engineered E. coli bacter ...