mining

Master jeweler Todd Bracken owns a small-scale gold mine in the Sierra Nevada foothills.

Mesabi Metallics, an iron ore mine under construction in northern Minnesota, has purchased the largest trucks ever used in the state’s mining industry that are also designed to be operated autonomously. 

CisLunar is studying how to turn space debris into fuel for electric propulsion systems, among other things.

“The government's been encouraging companies that help provide the public services in space to also develop commercial customers on the side,” said Harvard’s Matt Weinzierl.

As China has begun to impose restrictions on rare earths, a one-year pause not withstanding, the U.S. is racing to build up its own supply chain.

The $400 million investment will create a domestic supply chain for materials used in fighter jets and missiles.

The mineral, which goes into baking soda and glass, is Wyoming’s biggest export. The industry is bracing for impacts from reciprocal tariffs. 

The country is considering extending a restriction on cobalt exports to further push up prices. It’s not the only mineral-rich country to try that.

President Trump seems more likely to support deep-sea mineral extraction than President Biden did. But do we need those ocean floor metals?

People have attributed symptoms from ringing ears to heart issues to the noise, Andrew Chow of Time explains.