9 Steps to Planting a Tree (and Saving a Buck)

Why plant trees? Well, first off, trees remove carbon dioxide from the air to produce oxygen, but there are more self-interested reasons to plant them as well: They can save you money. Click For More.

• PLUS: Planting Large Trees Provides Instant Gratification

Top 5 Famous Sci-Fi Aliens You Can Play in Spore's Virtual World

As the best video game in years finally launches, PM's resident geek crawls the Spore Creature Creator for the handful of otherworldly invaders that will bring the customized gameplay back into this world. Click For More.

• PLUS: Spore Lives Up to Hype With Customization

2009 Nissan Frontier, Titan, Xterra, Pathfinder and Armada Test Drive: Feeling Gas Crunch, New Trucks Get Smart

Despite a drop in truck sales, Nissan intends to stay the course, insisting that the truck market is viable and likely to rebound, so the company aims to gobble up its share by trimming and tailoring its offerings. Click For More.

• PLUS: 2009 Chevy Traverse Test Drive

After Midwest Floods & Gulf Storms, Beware of Flooded Used Cars

Floods in Iowa this spring left rural states submerged, and auctioned vehicles from that disaster or anything else that rears its waterlogged head as storm season winds down, could reach car buyers. Click For More.

• PLUS: Backup Generators for Emergencies
• SATURDAY MECHANIC: Upgrading Wheels & Tires

Dell Inspiron Mini 9 Launches as Company's First Netbook: First Look

There was a lot of speculation about Dell's new ultra portable line of notebooks, rumored to be called the E-Series. Today, Dell launched the Inspiron Mini 9, their smallest web-surfing notebook, some models of which are shipping now. Click For More.

• PLUS: Asus Eee Is a Tiny PC That Hits the Mark

Honda, Ford, Nissan Prep Hybrids to Hunt Prius Before Volt Unveil

As it becomes increasingly likely that General Motors will unveil the production version of its much-anticipated Chevy Volt here later this month, competing automakers are now codifying their plans for next-generation hybrids of their own. Click For More.

• TEST DRIVE: Toyota Plug-in Could Beat Volt to Road

Your 6-Step Action Plan to Brighter Closets

Installing a light fixture to brighten up your cave-like dark closet can be accomplished in just a few simple steps. Click For More.

• PLUS: 7 Ways to Use Your Home's Wasted Space
• LAB TEST: The Best Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs

U.S. and Russian Nukes Get Sophisticated as Numbers Dwindle

As Russia's actions in Georgia strain America's relationship with Russia, nuclear disarmament negotiations may be in jeopardy. And while both countries' arsenals are shrinking, new and improved nuclear weapons are here to stay. Click For More.

• EXCLUSIVE: U.S. Missile Defense Chief Speaks Out

15 MacGyver Tricks to Rethink Razor Blades Around the House

The disposable razor blade—that cheap tool to make a close shave safer and smoother—can do more than just tame your whiskers. Here's how to creatively use single-edge blades and make them a must-have in any toolbox. Click For More.

• GREEN LIVING: Save Money By Reusing Materials

Early Checkup Shows Little Oil Platform Damage From Gustav

Oil companies began calling back evacuated workers, flying aircraft over offshore platforms and sending inspection teams through refineries shuttered by the storm. They didn't find the kind of widespread destruction they feared. Click For More.

• EARLIER: Oil Companies Prep Platforms for Gustav

2009 Mini Cooper JCW Test Drive: 207-HP Rocket Hits 33 MPG, but Is $42K Too Much?

The new John Cooper Works (JCW) edition pumps out 207 horses, features four-piston Brembo brakes, and is in showrooms now. Good news indeed for the Mini cognoscenti. Click For More.

• FIRST LOOK: Mini JCW Revs Up Big-Time Fun

Next-Gen Animal Surveillance Rig Aims to Reduce Roadkill 2.0

A new generation of animal detection systems, many of which evolved from technologies designed for military and private security systems, is aimed at alerting oncoming cars to would-be roadkill before it ends up in their headlights. Click For More.

• PLUS: Next-Gen Animal Prosthetics Build Perfect Beasts

Google Chrome's Refinements to Browser Make for Sort-of Unique Experience: Hands-on First Review

The basic controls of Web browsers have been codified for several years now, and Chrome’s innovations feel more like refinements. Many of Chrome’s features have parallels in other browsers, except for one that further steps into Microsoft territory. Click For More.

• ANALYSIS: Google Chrome and the Future of the Web

Adam Savage's Plan to Banish Boring Science Education & More: Back-to-School PODCAST

MythBuster and Popular Mechanics contributing editor Adam Savage is pretty fired up over the sad state of our nation's science education programs, which many teenagers feel leave them unprepared for the future. Click For More.

• PLUS: 3 Ways to Fix Failing U.S. Science Education

2009 Ford Fiesta Test Drive: Could Ford's Future Hang on Success of This Subcompact's 50+ MPGs?

After a 32-year absence, Fiesta will return to the U.S. in the form of a sedan that we first saw as the Ford Verve Concept in Frankfurt last year—along with a handsome five-door and a racy three-door hatchback version. Click For More.

• TEST DRIVE: 2009 Ford Focus ECOnetic Is Superstar of Fun

Remote-Control Missiles in a Box & More Could Quiet Iraq Critics

With The Non–Line of Sight Launch System, soldiers at the platoon level will be able to fire up to 15 tiny precision-guided missiles from a Port-O-Potty-size crate and guide them to strike moving targets up to 25 miles away. Click For More.

• PLUS: Policy Shift Will Rush High-Tech Gear to Iraq

For Gustav-Level Outages, Cities Tap Hybrid Buses for Power

Hybrid-electric bus operators are beginning plans to retrofit their fleets to provide electricity to homes and businesses during emergencies. Click For More.

• SURVIVAL GUIDE: Power Your Home After Disaster
• VIDEO: How to Safely Install a Power Generator