Among the pantheon of materials critical to technological innovation,rare-earth metalscommand a special status. These elements are the linchpins of a wide range of high-tech applications, from the innards of smartphones and hybrid vehicles to the mechanisms of wind turbines and advanced computing s...
So why is the planet stocked with so many rare minerals? Sometimes it is because the elements that comprise them can only get together under highly unusual conditions. Geologists have only found hazenite, a hydrous phosphate, in the extremely alkaline Mono Lake, again in California, wher...
What is another name for the rare-earth elements? What is the most abundant organic compound on Earth? What mineral group does bornite belong to? Which isotope is the most abundant? What are examples of silicate minerals? What are oxide minerals used for? Which element is found in coal and...
You’ll frequently read that the total astatine supply in the earth’s crust at any given moment is about an ounce. As products of radioactive decay, astatine and the like are too scarce and ephemeral to tally directly but their abundances can be inferred from their parent elements’ well-...
Some of the most poignant elements of popular culture originate in comic form, from Hollywood’s current obsession with superheroes, to the ever useful Bechdel test for measuring how well a cultural product does at representing women. Being such a powerful and important art form, there’s no ...
You'll see that rock melt back into smoldering magma, get sucked into an exploding volcano and shoved deep, deep into Earth's mantle where the diamond will slowly break apart into its constituent elements. Then, as millions of years pass like seconds, you'll see some of those elements rise...
Remote recording devices used to 'eavesdrop' on a reintroduced population of one of New Zealand's rarest birds have been heralded as a breakthrough for conservation.
The flowering leaves of the Chocolate Cosmos is a deep, dark red and maroon combination. The rings of petals can range from six to ten rows. During pollination periods, the flower emits a decadent scent that many have described as having elements of vanilla and cocoa beans. With such a swe...