Environment

This story has been removed.

posted: 12 October 2008 01:22 pm ET

: Alessandro Volta and his Voltaic Pile, the first battery. He put alternating discs of zinc and sliver or copper on top of one another. In between the discs, he slid pieces of cloth or cardboard soaked in salt water. Credit: American Physical Society
: Disposable batteries, while less toxic than they used to be, still end up in landfills more often than not. Rechargeable batteries are a boon for the environment if they are actually being recycled and not dumped into landfills or incinerated. Image Credit: Dreamstime