Short Sharp Science: China sparks concern over rare earth metal supply

Short Sharp Science: China sparks concern over rare earth metal supply China currently provides 97 per cent of the world's rare earth elements (REEs), but it has been imposing export quotas for some time. Last July, it slashed the quotas for REEs and recently made plans for further dramatic cuts, according to the China Daily newspaper. Please remember that these Rare elements are an essential component of gadgets in your home, from iPods to LCD TVs.

New materials could replace costly gold in electrical applications

New materials could replace costly gold in electrical applications ScienceDaily (Oct. 15, 2010) — Researchers at the University of Connecticut, partnering with United Technologies Research Center engineers, have modeled and developed new classes of alloy materials for use in electronic applications that will reduce reliance on costly gold and other precious metals.

Rare Earths: Elemental Needs of the Clean-Energy Economy: Scientific American

Rare Earths: Elemental Needs of the Clean-Energy Economy: Scientific American A massive wind turbine—capable of turning the breeze into two million watts of power—has 40-meter-long blades made from fiberglass, towers 90 meters above the ground, weighs hundreds of metric tons, and fundamentally relies on roughly 300 kilograms of a soft, silvery metal known as neodymium—a so-called rare earth.

Titanium foams replace injured bones

Titanium foams replace injured bones ScienceDaily (Sep. 22, 2010) — Flexible yet rigid like a human bone, and immediately capable of bearing loads: A new kind of implant, made of titanium foam, resembles the inside of a bone in terms of its structural configuration. Not only does this make it less stiff than conventional massive implants. It also promotes ingrowth into surrounding bones