Working at such a fine level of internal detail allows the stiffness and flexibility of an object to be determined at any point, says Siavash Mahdavi, the chief executive of Within Technologies.

ECONOMIST: 3D printing

Many of those who object to the change in the law don't point to moral concerns.

BBC: Soft launch for the soft opt out

The laser would only singe the surface of an object in space, but that tiny burn could still help point it downward, Dr. Campbell says.

WSJ: A Cosmic Question: How to Get Rid Of All That Orbiting Space Junk?