U.S. Hits Rare Earth Jackpot
More than 2.34 billion tons of rare earth minerals have been discovered in the vicinity of Halleck Creek, north of Laramie, in the state of Wyoming. The minerals include oxides of neodymium, praseodymium, samarium, dysprosium and terbium.
Previously, Communist China was thought to have a virtual monopoly on these rare earth compounds, but the U.S. mother lode is at least 20 times larger than what the Chinese can tap. These compounds are used in smartphones, electric vehicles, airplanes and for other industrial purposes.
The Edge of Wonder‘s Rob Counts touches upon the implications of the discovery here, while also delving into Chernobyl’s anticancer wolves. Also on tap: Katy Perry gets a miraculous or angelic sign from “the beyond” after her manager Martin Kirkup (who also managed Counting Crows, Tracy Chapman, the Go-Go’s, Adam Lambert, and more) passes away. There’s also another look at the 2024 Super Bowl and how it made some unexpected history.
