Dow's materials-engineering center is busy brainstorming ways that plastic can be used to replace wood and steel in durable goods, particularly home appliances and auto parts.

FORBES: Chemical transformation

Engineering problems unique to a craft made of plastic water bottles forced the catamaran to make unscheduled stops, as has unpredictable weather.

CNN: Plastic bottle boat reaches Australia after stormy seas

The leads also need to be flexible enough to deal with the large thermal expansion of the chip relative to the plastic on which it is mounted yet another engineering headache.

ECONOMIST: MONITOR