The Rare Earth Metals Handcuffing the EV Revolution
“The sleek lines and silent motors of EVs symbolize a future free from fossil fuel dependence. But hidden beneath that gleaming exterior lies a harsh reality: the dirty, geopolitically fraught world of rare earth metal mining. The REM problem shows us that true sustainability means looking beyond marketing promises and understanding the full impact of these technologies. We must demand transparency from companies about their supply chains. We must push for policies that support research, ethical sourcing, and domestic innovation. And we must have informed discussions about the issues and potential solutions surrounding EVs. Only then can the EV revolution fulfill its promise of clean transportation, without leaving a trail of new environmental and geopolitical problems in its wake.” (Exoswan)
- NRC proposes streamlined environmental reviews for new reactor license applications
- General Galactic emerges from stealth to make methane from carbon dioxide
- Swave Photonics develops true holographic display for spatial computing
- Gravitics to develop ‘tactically responsive’ orbital platforms for Space Force
- USAF Test Pilot School, DARPA announce aerospace machine learning breakthrough
- FAA now requires reentry vehicles to get licenses before launch
- NASA officially greenlights $3.35B mission to Saturn’s moon Titan
- Anduril selected for U.S. Air Force Collaborative Combat Aircraft Program
- Chemists invent an efficient way to extract lithium from mining sites
- Modern EV batteries rarely fail: study
- Scientists develop novel one-dimensional superconductor
- Study suggests that cells possess a hidden communication system
- Diamonds grown without extreme pressure
- Airborne single-photon lidar system achieves high-resolution 3D imaging
- First experimental proof for brain-like computer with water and salt
- Scientists learn from caterpillars how to create self-assembling capsules for drug delivery
- Seraphim Space launches second VC fund with nine investments already under its belt
- Yoneda Labs raises $4M from Khosla Ventures to build the “OpenAI for chemistry”
- Curio, a startup recycling nuclear waste, raised a $14M seed round
- Skyports, a startup building takeoff and landing infrastructure for eVTOLs, raised a $109.5M Series C
- Pelvital, a women’s health startup, raised a $2.4M seed plus round
- Repairable laptop startup Framework raised a $17M Series A-1
- Aquabattery, a climate tech startup developing a saltwater LDES solution, raised a $6.6M seed round
- Xaira Therapeutics, an integrated AI biotech company, raised $1B in funding
- Precision oncology startup Flindr Therapeutics raised a $20M Series A
- Bioform Technologies, a Canadian startup developing bio-based plastic alternatives, raised a $5M seed round
- Musk’s AI startup X.AI is nearing a deal to raise a $6B round at an $18B valuation
- Edonia, a startup creating protein ingredients from microalgae, raised a $2.1M round
US Air Force says AI-controlled F-16 has been dogfighting with humans / British Columbia has banned self-driving vehicles that exceed Level 2 / Two lifeforms merge in once-in-a-billion-years evolutionary event / Chechyna bans music outside the range of 80-116 beats per minute / Space solar power is happening sooner rather than later / Groq’s breakthrough AI chip achieves blistering 800 tokens per second on Meta’s LLaMA 3 / Czech’s 3D-print Eiffel Tower from ocean waste for the Olympics / SpaceX launch marks 300th successful booster landing