Chocolate could run out by 2050 because the crop used to make the confectionary will be harder to grow in a warming climate, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Target’s $7bn plan to fix its business paid off handsomely during the holiday season.

It was late November and former Intel Corp. engineer Thomas Prescher was enjoying beers and burgers with friends in Dresden, Germany, when the conversation turned, ominously, to semiconductors.

The use of bioplastics — made from plants instead of fossil fuels — is expected to grow by at least 50 percent in the next five years, according to the European Bioplastics Association.

When it comes to new technology, development usually proceeds incrementally. But progress continues to be made on many fronts.