BBC Inside Science Better Than Gold: Critical Minerals
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Apr 3, 2025 Elsa Pancharoli, an NERC Independent Research Fellow at the National Museum of Scotland, discusses the groundbreaking discovery of a Jurassic fossil on the Isle of Skye. She shares the challenges her team faced while extracting a 166-million-year-old treasure. The conversation also dives into the geopolitical importance of critical minerals, essential for technology and sustainability, and how they impact the race for resources, especially in Ukraine. Exciting news from lunar exploration and dinosaur finds rounds out this fascinating discussion!
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Critical Minerals Defined
- Critical minerals are vital for the UK's success and have a high risk of supply disruption.
- The UK's critical mineral list includes 34 minerals, like rare earth elements, cobalt, nickel, and lithium.
Green Tech's Mineral Needs
- Critical minerals are essential for green technologies like electric cars and renewable energy.
- Electric cars need rare earth elements for magnets, while renewables require silica, selenium, and tellurium.
Mining Challenges
- Critical mineral deposits require specific geological conditions and are not abundant.
- Mining new deposits can take over 10 years due to processing challenges and environmental concerns.