Episode Details

They are embedded inside your smartphone's haptic engine, the drive motors of electric vehicles, guided missile systems,and offshore wind turbines. Though rarely seen, the rare earth metals global supply chain forms the quiet foundation of 21st-century civilization. Despite their name, these 17 chemical elements—comprising the 15 lanthanides plus scandium and yttrium—are relatively abundant in the Earth's crust. Cerium, for instance, is more common than copper.