Short Sharp Science: Is this the start of the element wars?

Short Sharp Science: Is this the start of the element wars? Chinese customs officials are blocking shipments to Japan of rare earth elements (REEs) and companies have been informally told not to export them, says The New York Times.

Titanium foam builds Wolverine bones - health - 23 September 2010 - New Scientist

Titanium foam builds Wolverine bones - health - 23 September 2010 - New Scientist Bone implants are typically made of solid metal – usually titanium. Though well tolerated by the body, such implants are significantly stiffer than bone.Now Prof.Quadbeck and colleagues have created a titanium implant with a foam-like structure, inspired by the spongy nature of bone. The titanium foam does a better job than solid metal when it comes to matching the mechanical properties of bone, such as flexibility, and this encourages more effective bone regrowth.

Elements by Tom Lehrer

Nanostructures give alloy super strength

Nanostructures give alloy super strength

Space Colonists Could Use Bacteria to Mine Minerals on Mars and the Moon: Scientific American

Space Colonists Could Use Bacteria to Mine Minerals on Mars and the Moon: Scientific American Microbes currently are used in mining to help recover metals such as gold, copper and uranium. Now researchers suggest bacteria could be enlisted for "bio-mining" in space, to extract oxygen, nutrients and minerals from extraterrestrial bodies such as the moon and Mars for use by future colonists there.

Vizag steel plnt sets record

09.09.2010:Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd (Visakhapatnam Steel Plant) produced 2.52 lakh tonnes of saleable steel during August this year, recording a growth of 9 per cent over August-2009.During the five months of April-August 2010, VSP produced 12.23 lakh tonnes of saleable steel which is also higher compared to corresponding period last year.WelCome to Steel Group

CO₂-free method of producing Iron

CO₂-free method of producing Iron: "George Washington University Professor Stuart Licht has developed a revolutionary CO₂-free method of producing iron that could provide a breakthrough for an industry that has been using the same polluting process of iron smelting for more than three thousand years."