| 'Lights out' help migratory birds A growing number of New York sky-scrapers switch off their lights at night to help reduce the number of migratory birds hitting the buildings. bbc.co.uk |
Brain region linked to introspection By LAURAN NEERGAARD 2010-09-16T18:03:58ZWASHINGTON (AP) -- Just how confident are you that you made the right decision? New research has uncovered a part of the brain that's larger in people who seem particularly introspective.... hosted.ap.org |
BP’s New Chief, Not Formally in the Role, Is Already Realigning Senior Managers While Robert Dudley will not formally take over until Friday, he has already ousted Andy Inglis, the head of exploration and production. feeds.nytimes.com |
Green: For Every Rescued Miner in Chile, Hundreds Far Less Lucky Mining is one of the world's most hazardous professions, with a checkered safety record. feeds.nytimes.com |
The rise of rare earth elements Demand for REEs can only increase as cars, computers, mobile phones and other electronic equipment become more advancedThe "rare earth elements" are a group of 17 naturally occurring metallic elements used in small amounts in everything from high-powered magnets to batteries and electronic circuits. The materials (including scandium, yttrium and a group of elements called the lanthanides) have specific chemical and physical properties that make them useful in improving the performance of computer hard drives and catalytic converters, mobile phones, hi-tech televisions, sunglasses and lasers.As technology advances, so the demand for the metals rises; in the past decade, their use has doubled. There are several kilograms of such elements in typical hybrid petrol-electric cars made by Toyota and Honda, a market that will expand in coming years.Despite their name, rare earth elements are not actually all that rare. In a report on the elements published this year, the British Geological Survey put their natural abundance on the same level as copper or lead.China has a near-monopoly on mining the elements. According to the geological survey China has 37% of the world's estimated reserves, about 36m tonnes, but controls more than 97% of production. The former Soviet bloc has around 19m tonnes and the US 13m, with other large deposits held by Australia, India, Brazil and Malaysia. The Royal Society of Chemistry is raising awareness of declining mineral resources, making conservation of rare earth and other elements a priority for 2011.The US House of Representatives is also worried about security of supply and is considering legislation to try to end America's dependence on Chinese imports. The Mountain Pass mine in California, shut down in 2002 because of environmental and cost issues, is now to be reopened, along with potential mines at Bear Lodge in Wyoming and Bokan Mountain in Alaska..Other sources, untapped as yet, include Greenland. Estimates suggest the land mass could meet 25% of global demand for REEs. South Africa also has potential for rich REE deposits, as do Malawi, Madagascar and Kenya.MiningAutomotive industryComputingChemistryGeologyAlok Jhaguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |