Silica, in a rough and highly contaminated form, is the primary component of sand. Feldspar, granite, quartz, and more are all based on silicon-oxygen compounds.

Building a computer chip might seem like a typical process similar to constructing a car in a factory, but it's significantly more complex and microscopic.

This article is part of the On Tech newsletter. You can sign up here to receive it weekdays. Most people need toilet paper and computer chips every day, and yet we rarely think about either of ...

In a recent experiment, researchers used directed evolution to create enzymes that make silicon dioxide, used in semiconductors and computer chips. Photo via Wikimedia Commons/Krzysztof Burghardt ...

Under Intel’s roof is the entire process for making computer chips – from research to design to complex fabrication. For much of the late 20th century, this made the Californian company a ...