For decades, scientists have been able to burn fuels in a flame without creating any soot, and they think they know why. They’ve crunched the numbers and run experiments in high-tech facilities, but there’s only one way to be certain about the fundamental relationship between flames and soot: They have to light a fire in…

As our love of gadgets grows, so do demands for longer lasting batteries. But there’s a problem. To make a longer-lasting battery, it needs to be bigger, and bigger isn’t better when it comes to cell phones or electric cars—not to mention pacemakers. Lithium ion batteries already have a less-than-stellar reputation: think exploding cell phones or fires on…