Phosphorus is essential for fertilizing high-yield agriculture. The US domestic supply, restricted to Florida, is expected to run out in a couple of decades.

Pyrrhotite causes cracks in concrete. But research on how widespread the issue might be has only scratched the surface.

Some species go extinct obviously and fast, but just as often, the process can be hard to detect until it’s too late.

David Bohm and Hugh Everett were once ostracized for challenging the dominant thinking in physics. Now, science accepts their ideas, which are said to enrich our understanding of the universe.