http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. (Phys.org) —Murdoch University researchers have come up with a new approach to make the recovery of high value precious metals faster and more economically viable. http://phys.org/news281781722.html Chemistry Wed, 06 Mar 2013 08:42:14 EST news281781722 In a new twist on the state's mining history, a group of Idaho scientists will soon be crushing consumer electronics rather than rocks in a quest to recover precious materials. DOE's Ames Laboratory will lead the new Critical Materials Innovation Hub, and Idaho National Laboratory scientists will contribute to that effort. They'll apply expertise gleaned from recycling fissionable material from nuclear fuel to separate rare earth metals and other critical materials from crushed consumer products. http://phys.org/news281695968.html Technology Tue, 05 Mar 2013 09:40:02 EST news281695968 (Phys.org)—Joseph Goldstein, an engineering professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, is part of a research team trying to produce an iron-nickel alloy that is currently only found in meteorites, for use in making supermagnets. The goal of the research is to develop bulk quantities of commercially viable, environmentally sound supermagnets, which can be used in electric vehicles, wind-turbine generators and many other machines. http://phys.org/news274524407.html Chemistry Wed, 12 Dec 2012 08:47:15 EST news274524407 When new cell phones or tablets enter the marketplace, yesterday's hot technology can quickly become obsolete - for some consumers. For others, the device still has value as an affordable alternative, or even as spare parts. http://phys.org/news267093108.html Technology Mon, 17 Sep 2012 09:31:57 EST news267093108 (Phys.org)—When Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory scientist Frances Houle considers the national alarm that has sounded over the shortage of rare earth materials—critical ingredients in a wide range of clean-energy and medical technologies—she tends not to panic. http://phys.org/news265444239.html Chemistry Wed, 29 Aug 2012 07:40:01 EST news265444239 A new study this week finds that "quantum critical points" in exotic electronic materials can act much like polarizing "hot button issues" in an election. Reporting in Nature, researchers from Rice University, two Max Planck Institutes in Dresden, Germany, and UCLA find that on either side of a quantum critical point, electrons fall into line and behave as traditionally expected, but at the critical point itself, traditional physical laws break down. http://phys.org/news254583865.html Physics Wed, 25 Apr 2012 14:44:46 EST news254583865 Japan said Wednesday it will host the European Union and United States at a meeting on developing alternatives for rare earths as Chinese controls on the key minerals raise fears of a supply squeeze. http://phys.org/news251525454.html Technology Wed, 21 Mar 2012 05:30:01 EST news251525454 Canada's northern territories will lead the nation in growth in the next two years, buoyed by high commodities prices and a ramping up of new mines, a report said Wednesday. http://phys.org/news250968608.html Space & Earth Wed, 14 Mar 2012 18:30:13 EST news250968608 A large-scale shift from coal-fired electric power plants and gasoline-fueled cars to wind turbines and electric vehicles could increase demand for two already-scarce metals — available almost exclusively in China — by 600-2,600 percent over the next 25 years, a new study has concluded. Published in the ACS journal Environmental Science & Technology, it points out that production of the two metals has been increasing by only a few percentage points per year. http://phys.org/news250358284.html Technology Wed, 07 Mar 2012 15:58:33 EST news250358284 A steep decline in Chinese exports of rare earth metals used in many hi-tech gadgets has forced a global search for new crucial supplies and hopes are high for major finds in Canada, analysts say. http://phys.org/news243664670.html Technology Wed, 21 Dec 2011 05:00:01 EST news243664670 Most people don't take it literally when they're told to shoot for the moon - but thinking small isn't Naveen Jain's way. The 52-year-old Internet entrepreneur is a co-founder of Moon Express Inc., one of several companies in the Google Lunar X Prize competition, in which privately funded teams will try to put robots on the moon by 2016. http://phys.org/news243190180.html Space & Earth Thu, 15 Dec 2011 19:20:01 EST news243190180 The ultimately strong electron-electron interaction in metal is realized in the so-called heavy-fermion compound containing rare earth elements, in which the electron effective mass is enhanced by a few hundred times the free electron mass. http://phys.org/news238084196.html Physics Mon, 17 Oct 2011 15:30:28 EST news238084196 The clean energy economy of the future hinges on a lot of things, chief among them the availability of the scores of rare earth elements and other elements used to make everything from photovoltaic panels and cellphone displays to the permanent magnets in cutting edge new wind generators. And right out of the gate trouble is brewing over projected growth in demand for these minerals and the security of their supplies. http://phys.org/news237436135.html Space & Earth Mon, 10 Oct 2011 03:29:08 EST news237436135 (PhysOrg.com) -- A new list published by the British Geological Survey, or BGS, ranks 52 of Earth's elements based on their risk of supply disruption. Andrew Bloodworth, from BGS, points out that the likelihood of the world running out of these elements in the near future is slim but that the risks to their supply are from humans. http://phys.org/news235229004.html Space & Earth Wed, 14 Sep 2011 15:10:14 EST news235229004 Increasing demand and a shrinking supply of rare earth elements for magnets creates a perfect opportunity for a research team from Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Minnesota. The goal is to create a recipe for a replacement that doesn't use scarce ingredients. http://phys.org/news234172163.html Chemistry Fri, 02 Sep 2011 09:01:06 EST news234172163 China's monopoly over rare-earth metals could be challenged by the discovery of massive deposits of these hi-tech minerals in mud on the Pacific floor, a study on Sunday suggests. http://phys.org/news228918901.html Space & Earth Sun, 03 Jul 2011 13:35:50 EST news228918901 That axiom of sustainability -- "recycle and reuse" -- could help ease concerns about a reliable supply of substances, indispensible for a modern technological society, that are produced almost exclusively in the Peoples' Republic of China. That's the conclusion of a study on these so-called "rare earth" elements in the ACS journal Environmental Science & Technology. http://phys.org/news228570206.html Space & Earth Wed, 29 Jun 2011 12:43:43 EST news228570206 In the Mojave Desert just off Interstate 15 on the way to Las Vegas, workers are digging for dirt that may be worth far more than a casino full of chips. http://phys.org/news217789800.html Technology Thu, 24 Feb 2011 18:10:02 EST news217789800 High-tech firms across the globe have been hit hard by China's slashing of rare earth metals exports but it is turning out to be good news for Estonia's small Silmet factory. http://phys.org/news210401526.html Technology Wed, 01 Dec 2010 06:30:01 EST news210401526 Approximately 13 million metric tons of rare earth elements (REE) exist within known deposits in the United States, according to the first-ever nationwide estimate of these elements by the U.S. Geological Survey. http://phys.org/news209238505.html Space & Earth Wed, 17 Nov 2010 18:50:04 EST news209238505 Global demand for the increasingly important "rare earth" minerals that power a range of digital products could outstrip supply by next year as dominant producer China slashes exports, analysts warn. http://phys.org/news209190242.html Technology Wed, 17 Nov 2010 05:30:01 EST news209190242 German industrialists are concerned over supplies of rare earth minerals needed for a wide variety of products after companies said access to the raw materials was restricted by China. http://phys.org/news207213057.html Technology Mon, 25 Oct 2010 08:20:02 EST news207213057 (AP) -- China's recent halt of exotic metal shipments to Japan amid a diplomatic spat has reverberated throughout the world's high-tech manufacturing hubs - now on heightened alert to the risks of relying on one country for materials that do everything from helping hybrid engines run to creating the color red in televisions. http://phys.org/news205387713.html Technology Mon, 04 Oct 2010 05:20:01 EST news205387713 (AP) -- China has halted exports to Japan of rare earth elements - which are crucial for advanced manufacturing - trading company officials said Friday amid tensions between the rival Asian powers over a territorial dispute. http://phys.org/news204570519.html Technology Fri, 24 Sep 2010 18:40:01 EST news204570519 The fiber optic cable networks linking the world are an essential part of modern life. To keep up with ever-increasing demands for more bandwidth, scientists are working to improve the optical amplifiers that boost fiber optic signals across long distances. http://phys.org/news195900801.html Physics Wed, 16 Jun 2010 10:20:01 EST news195900801 Scientists at the Carnegie Institution's Geophysical Laboratory, with colleagues, have discovered a much higher water content in the Moon's interior than previous studies. Their research suggests that the water was preserved from the hot magma that was present when the Moon began to form some 4.5 billion years ago, and that it is likely widespread in the Moon's interior. The research is published in the on-line early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences the week of June 14. http://phys.org/news195737606.html Space & Earth Mon, 14 Jun 2010 15:00:42 EST news195737606 Nutrient runoff from livestock manure is a common source of agricultural pollution. Looking for an uncommon solution, a team of scientists has developed an application of rare earth elements to control and track runoff phosphorus from soils receiving livestock manure. In addition to reducing the solubility of phosphorus, this method shows particular promise for researchers interested in tracking the fate of manure nutrients in agricultural settings. http://phys.org/news195706785.html Space & Earth Mon, 14 Jun 2010 04:00:09 EST news195706785 Karl A. Gschneidner Jr., a senior metallurgist at the U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory, today cautioned members of a Congressional panel that "rare-earth research in the USA on mineral extraction, rare-earth separation, processing of the oxides into metallic alloys and other useful forms, substitution, and recycling is virtually zero." http://phys.org/news187978951.html Chemistry Tue, 16 Mar 2010 17:40:02 EST news187978951 The historic 30 January 1970 edition of the journal Science, featuring analysis of the first geological samples from the Moon, is now freely available to the public to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the first lunar landing on 20 July 1969. http://phys.org/news167314166.html Space & Earth Mon, 20 Jul 2009 13:11:52 EST news167314166