minerals
![Brian Piercy](data:image/svg+xml;utf8,<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="%230A66C2"><path d="M20.447 20.452H16.89v-5.569c0-1.328-.027-3.037-1.852-3.037-1.853 0-2.136 1.445-2.136 2.939v5.667H9.351V9h3.414v1.561h.046c.477-.9 1.637-1.85 3.37-1.85 3.601 0 4.267 2.37 4.267 5.455v6.286zM5.337 7.433a1.982 1.982 0 1 1 0-3.964 1.982 1.982 0 0 1 0 3.964zm1.782 13.019H3.555V9h3.564v11.452zM22.225 0H1.771C.792 0 0 .774 0 1.729v20.542C0 23.227.792 24 1.771 24h20.451C23.2 24 24 23.227 24 22.271V1.729C24 .774 23.2 0 22.222 0h.003z"/></svg>)
Caging the lightning: How we make aluminium
Life, death and new worlds: Gifts from the miracle metal.
Limestone might not be the only source for Portland cement.
A new lithium refining method uses electrochemistry to cut waste and energy use, easing a key bottleneck for electric vehicles.
The discovery could bolster efforts to make the U.S. less dependent on China for minerals essential for renewable power.
The 15-year effort by Japan is a model for countries now scrambling to reduce their dependence on Beijing’s critical metals.
I review a fascinating dissertation on interwar metals trading and the "Age of Alloy Steel"
The U.S. doesn't currently refine cobalt, a valuable material in a number of goods and products. This startup wants to change that.
Industrialists and researchers are plotting a new future for these critical materials
Organized crime is mining sand from rivers and coasts to feed demand worldwide, ruining ecosystems and communities. Can it be stopped?
Scientists studying the McDermitt Caldera in Nevada and Oregon think they've found a new, more sustainable way to mine lithium.
Mining and processing the minerals needed to meet the growing demand for EVs can be costly for workers, local communities and the environment.
[Note that this article is a transcript of the video embedded above.] If you have to know the answer right away, it’s no; or at least, my goal with this video is to convince you that the world is not running out of sand. But if it were that simple, I wouldn’t be here (right?) and you probably woul