STOCKHOLM (AP) — Three scientists won the Nobel Prize in chemistry Wednesday for their development of new molecular structures that can trap vast quantities of gas inside, laying the groundwork to potentially suck greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere or harvest moisture from desert environments.

Heiner Linke, the chairman of the committee that made the award, compared the structures called metal-organic frameworks to a seemingly bottomless magical handbag featured in the “Harry Potter” series or to Mary Poppins’ enchanted carpet bag. The containers look small from the outside but are able to hold surprisingly large quantities within.

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