Introduction

It may sound hard to believe, but a great deal of Earth's modern electronics -- everything from jets to your smartphone -- depend on just a few substances, things called rare earth metals, or rare earth elements. While you might not hear about them too often, they're one of the hottest commodities on the planet. As you check out today's episode, countries, companies, and a few very powerful people across the world are scrambling to get a piece of the profits -- and they're increasingly less concerned with who might get hurt along the way.

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