rare earth metals
First Lawsuit of Its Kind Accuses Big Tech of Profiting From Child Labor in Cobalt Mines
Apple, Google, Microsoft, Dell, and Tesla are being sued over their alleged reliance on cobalt mined by children.
We Don't Mine Enough Rare Earth Metals to Replace Fossil Fuels With Renewable Energy
Rare earth metals are used in solar panels and wind turbines—as well as electric cars and consumer electronics. We don't recycle them, and there's not enough to meet growing demand.
The Plan to Extract Rare Earth Metals from Coal Mining Waste
The government and industry groups have given West Virginia University over $3 million to study whether it’s a feasible idea.
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Gold
The past, present, and future of the world's most famous mineral.
We're Going to Need More Metal
Thanks the global gadget boom, the world will have to come up with 3-9 times more metal to meet the demand for laptops and smart phones.
How Deep-Sea Mud Found Off a Tiny Japanese Island May Change the Gadget Economy
China pretty much dominates the world market for rare earth elements, but a huge find underneath Japan's seas may now help break that stranglehold.
Why the iPad Has to be Made in China
The iPad’s light, sleek, simple construction belies its complex origins. There’s a lot of stuff in the iPad: aluminum and glass, of course, but also other heavy metals and toxic chemicals. And manufacturing each "1.44-pound iPad":http://www.google.com...