San Francisco Chronicle: In a tidy white lab on the southern edge of Berkeley, scientists are trying to duplicate one of nature's greatest tricks, pulling energy out of thin air.
They're designing artificial leaves that can convert sunlight, carbon dioxide and water into chemical fuel, much like the photosynthesis of flowers and trees.
The team has already built a crude prototype from silicon, polymers and platinum that can create a simple and clean hydrogen fuel. If the scientists figure out how to cheaply produce...