Silicon is the understated hero of the modern world, found in everything from CPUs and medical implants to precious stones, window glass, and bakeware. But what makes silicon so special? Join us for ...

Foremost among silicon's distinguishing features is that, quite simply, there is a hell of a lot of it. After oxygen, it's the second most abundant element in the Earth's crust -- but don't expect to ...

Carbon's unique chemical properties allow it to be an essential building block for life on Earth and many other molecules we rely on for day-to-day life—but what about carbon's neighbor? Silicon is ...