Rare earth elements thread invisibly through daily life, quietly powering everything from laptops to smartphones to cars.

Though hydrogen is the most common element in the universe (around 75% of the universe’s mass), it is rare on Earth, making up only 0.14% of the crust.

There are 78 common elements in the Earth’s crust, and Cerium, one of the “rare earth elements” is the 25th most plentiful on the list. Its concentration is 60 parts per million.

The U.S. once controlled the market on rare earth elements, sought after for a range of technologies. But in the last few decades, China has cornered that market and surpassed the U.S.

These objects brought around a half a percent of Earth’s mass. If the late veneer theory is right, then most elements that make up life arrived on Earth sometime after the Earth’s core had formed.

Ulanqab Ulanhada Volcano No. 5 in Inner Mongolia, China. Extinct volcanoes could contain high concentrations of rare earth elements, essential components for the green transition. Govan Zhang/Getty ...

That’s why UC Santa Barbara’s Justin Wilson has partnered with the mineral recovery company REEGen. “We’ve developed a new approach to extract rare earth elements from end-of-life products like ...

In the U.S., for example, researchers are looking in coal mines, where mining activity is already occurring, to see if rare earth metals might become the next product of these mines.

The U.S. once controlled the market on rare earth elements, sought after for a range of technologies. But in the last few decades, China has cornered that market and surpassed the U.S.

Scientists still debate the origins of Earth’s life-sustaining elements. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. For many years ...