Featured Story

Just How Toxic Was the Tennessee Coal Sludge Spill?

The coal sludge spill near Knoxville, Tenn., last week sent more than a billion gallons of coal ash (mixed with water, making coal sludge) spilling across more than 300 acres, at some points covering the land 6 ft deep.

Previous Worst-Case Scenarios Stories

Could the Whistler Blackcomb Gondola Accident Happen Again? Disaster struck at British Columbia's Whistler Blackcomb ski resort when ice buildup snapped one of the supporting towers for one of the resort's gondolas, slamming several of the cars to the ground.
Green Tech Plans Hide Obama-McCain Disparity on Infrastructure PM's reporter, who conducted a yearlong special report into fixing the country's infrastructure, digs into the candidates' detailed plans to fix the grid—and their vague proposals to prepare for the next natural or man-made disaster.
Engineers to Quake-Proof Cal Stadium on Free-Floating Blocks Seismic engineers apparently have solved one of the world's great retrofit puzzles: how to keep UC Berkeley's Memorial Stadium from crumbling into a pile of concrete rubble during a major earthquake.
How to Buy the Right Backup Generator for Your Disaster & Budget The best backup power-system for you is defined by how much interaction you want with the system and by how much you're willing to spend. (Published in the October 2008 issue)
Early Checkup Shows Little Oil Platform Damage From Gustav Oil companies began calling back evacuated workers, flying aircraft over offshore platforms and sending inspection teams through refineries shuttered by the storm. They didn't find the kind of widespread destruction they feared.
Katrina Lessons in Mind, Oil Companies Prep Platforms for Gustav A storm doesn't necessarily wreak havoc on all installations it touches, said Peter Marshall, a consultant, as operators continued preparations for Tropical Storm Gustav's expected move into the energy-rich gulf.
L.A. Quake Was Minor, but Is America Ready for the Big One? Tuesday's southern California earthquake, minor as it may have been, was a reminder of the United States’ earthquake vulnerability. A look at the state of earthquake preparedness.
Explosion Savages Massive Sugar Mill: What Went Wrong When two blasts rocked a Georgia sugar refinery, the culprit turned out to be an innocuous and ubiquitous industrial hazard—dust. (Published in the August 2008 issue)
Could One Email Have Stopped a $1.4B Stealth Bomber Crash? The B-2’s computerized fly-by-wire wizardry is a supreme technical achievement, but the Guam crash underlines the vulnerability of even sophisticated computer systems to mundane glitches.
Anatomy of a Coast Guard Mission, Katrina’s Infrastructure Lessons & Deep Cave Ops 101: Rescue Tech PODCAST Behind the scenes of the Coast Guard’s most extreme rescue. Plus: Why the federal government has finally learned the lessons of Katrina three years later. And cave rescuer Anmar Mirza walks us through her careful craft.
View Full Science: Worst-Case Scenarios Archive

Digital Hollywood

Geeked-Out Movies '09

The holiday movie season has come and gone without so much as a certified blockbuster. Thank goodness for 2009!

PLUS: The Top 10 F/X Scenes of 2008

Solar Thermal Power May Make Sun-Powered Grid a Reality
It's solar's new dawn. Now new innovations are exiting the lab and plugging into the grid - turning sunlight into serious energy.

Automotive

Detroit's Wild Ride in '08

There's never been a wilder year for the automotive world than 2008. Here are the most important events of the year.

PLUS: 5 Reasons GM Teeters on the Edge

Current Issue

Out Now: Snoop Tech

For January, PM explores how gadgets are leaving our personal info vulnerable to hackers. With features on hi-def epics, full-size pickups, welding and more!