Bacteria taken from underground petroleum reserves could be used to effectively break down crude oil from spills at sea, new research has found. The study measured the breakdown of crude oil components in simulated seawater by four bacterial strains that had been isolated from petroleum reservoirs, as well as by four genetically modified stains. The findings raise the possibility of tailor-making organisms to clean up specific types of contamination.

Bioremediation is a technique that harnesses the power of nature to treat contaminated soils and groundwater. This study explored a technology that is effective at capturing groundwater pollutants and shows promise in extreme environments — the Permeable Reactive Barrier (PRB).

While the company has pushed to transition into an oil explorer, that move could prove pointless after crude's historic crash.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Ellen Page reveal the minds they would love to change for the better.

A federal judge has ordered the Food and Drug Administration to make the morning-after pill available to teens without a prescription.

Picking a partner while on the Pill might have lasting ramifications on marital satisfaction, new research finds.

Planet 100 investigates the 5 worst oil spills on record and how the Gulf oil spill compares.

BP’s oil spill could hamper the domestic oil industry -- but that doesn’t mean we’ll use less oil.

Something seems fishy ... when asked about poor response to the disaster, the head of the Louisiana Coast Guard said: 'I'm just slow and dumb.'

A new app for iPhone and Android lets users report impacts of the Gulf oil spill in real time.

The oil spill drives home the consequences of our addiction.

Alaskan journalist Charles Wohlforth, author of 'The Fate of Nature,' tells MSNBC about the oil spill's likely long-term effects and what could exacerbate them.

Oilman-turned-solar entrepreneur Jeremy Leggett says there's only one shot to plug the well, and getting it wrong comes with a heavy price.

Billed as the first charity 'F-bomb-athon' this is of the most satisfying rants about the BP oil spill yet. Do not listen in the presence of small children.

Video: How these roly-poly, spineless worms are serving as role models for soft material robots.

We're looking at 2 to 6 months before the oil will stop gushing into the Gulf of Mexico. There are still a lot of questions that need answers.

An accident in Montana is the latest in a long and troubled line of pipeline incidents in America.

Community woodworking shops become popular, insect wings microscopically shred bacteria, and the size of ExxonMobil's Arkansas oil spill grows.

Pipeline spills aren't good for the environment and they aren't good for politics. They are especially bad for business.

From Michigan to Arkansas, a series of recent oil spills have raised doubts about the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline.

Reporters for the online, nonprofit news site spent seven months reporting on tar-sands oil spill in Michigan.

U.S. pipelines have already sprung two major leaks in 2015, including the Yellowstone River's second oil spill in four years.

Despite leading the charge for voluntary disclosure of fracking chemicals, Chesapeake Energy is now resisting revealing what was spilled during a blowout in Pen

The true story behind the modern holiday isn't all togetherness and turkey.

A supplement derived from a tropical fern can offer extra defense against sun damage to the skin.

The Deepwater Horizon is set to surpass the Exxon Valdez spill as the worst oil disaster in U.S. history. The EPA, the Coast Guard and Dept. of Homeland Securit

From sticky to stainy, here's what you need to clean festive messes.

From how to wash pillows to when to buy new ones to the benefits of zipped pillow covers, keeping your pillows clean is good for your health.

The oil leak may be releasing thousands of gallons per day, but after 14 years, it is finally at least partly contained.

Gordon Fullerton, an Apollo-era NASA astronaut who was among the first test pilots to fly the space shuttle, died on Aug. 21.

Feature-length film to serve as an archive of the disaster, will only be shown internally.

Hindsight is 20/20 and there will be a lot of 20/20 analysis as the oil spill commission continues to drop bombshells from the behind-the-scenes reports of what

GM will be repurposing 100 miles of oil-soaked plastic boom from the Gulf oil spill into plastic parts for the Chevy Volt.

Greenpeace's Deepsea Desperation lets you challenge a friend for domination over ocean territories. Will you play Greenpeace or Big Oil?

In a bizarre twist, actor claims Costner duped him into selling shares in company that separates oil from water.

The final report by President Obama's oil spill commission concludes that the Deepwater Horizon blowout and subsequent massive oil spill was caused by a series

President Obama’s oil spill commission has released its final report on the disaster, and those who put the analysis together certainly had a few interesting

An Atlanta jeweler upcycles tarballs picked up from the beaches of Louisiana's Grand Isle into eco-friendly jewelry.

Studios acquire film rights to a NY Times article that chronicles the events leading up to the disaster.

A new report provides a possible scapegoat for BP in last year’s oil spill. Investigators say the blame for the disaster does not lie with BP but instead with

Raising campaign funds is a difficult balancing act for the Louisiana governor.

Ambitious, ill-prepared petroleum industry eyes the Gulf, the Arctic, the heartland.

Actor says his oil separation technology coupled with special boats can effectively stop an oil slick from reaching shore.

There have been thousands of oil spills in the Gulf of Mexico in the year since BP's massive oil spill. We shouldn't be surprised.

Filmmakers Josh and Rebecca Harrell Tickell used their cameras to expose the ugly truth about the spill, when it became clear that the problems are ongoing and

What's your interpretation of this bizarre painting found on the news sharing site Reddit?

Researchers have developed a soap made of iron rich salts which could one day safely clean tainted water.

While 'America Revealed' with Yul Kwon explores how typical systems work, we also explain new oil cleanup technology and Titanic history.

At the time of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the spring of 2010, computer models predicted that the 200 million gallons of crude oil pouring out of the gus

Naturally occurring bacteria gobbled up at least 200,000 tons of oil and natural gas that spewed into the Gulf following the BP Deepwater Horizon spill, a new s