KNOWLEDGE
TOPSTORY
2 Giants, 20 Years: The Consolidation of China’s Rare Earth Industry
The raw materials superpower: Rare earths and China are often mentioned in the same breath. There is a decades-long strategy behind this.
ANALYSES, BACKGROUND, INTERVIEWS
Mining – A Task for Decades
Many years pass between the discovery of new mineral resources and their extraction.
Already in Ancient Times: Attention When Buying Raw Materials!
The oldest known letter of complaint involves the purchase of copper.
Quo Vadis Deep-Sea-Mining?
Despite the increasing demand for raw materials, mining in the deep sea remains controversial. What are the arguments in favor, and what are the arguments against? And what is the state of the science?
The Prototype Kilogram – Forged From Iridium and Platinum
Standardized units of measurement are essential in science as well as trade and technology. However, the process of achieving standardization has been complicated, and refinements were still being made until recently.