Engineers test pyroprocessing, a method for recycling spent nuclear fuel, at the Argonne National Laboratory in Lemont, Illinois.

As interest in nuclear power rises, startups are pursuing plans to recycle spent fuel and reuse its untapped energy to power reactors. Advocates tout new recycling methods as a breakthrough, but many experts warn it will extract plutonium that could be used for nuclear weapons.

By Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow

Climate

Can Toxic Mining Waste Help Remove CO2 from the Atmosphere?

On the coast of Newfoundland, waste from a shuttered asbestos mine has been a troubling source of contamination for decades. Now, a company plans to process the waste to draw CO2 from the air — one of several projects worldwide that aim to turn this liability into an asset.

By Moira Donovan

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Succulent plants in a greenhouse after being confiscated by South African law enforcement. Labels show the plant's name and the associated criminal case number. 

Biodiversity

A Craze for Tiny Plants Is Driving a Poaching Crisis in South Africa

South Africa’s Succulent Karoo is the most biodiverse arid region on the planet, with thousands of plants found nowhere else. But to meet a demand fueled by social media, criminal networks have been poaching these colorful succulents by the millions and smuggling them overseas.

By Adam Welz

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