Lunar rocks are famously dry. They contain almost none of the volatile elements that easily escape into space, such as ...

Particles that escaped Earth’s atmosphere accumulated on the lunar surface over billions of years. Here’s what you’ll learn ...

The moon's surface may be more than just a dusty, barren landscape. Over billions of years, tiny particles from Earth's ...

Rare earth elements (REEs), essential components in the magnets used in e-motors and wind turbines, are key to enabling the energy transition. However, REE mining and refining are highly concentrated ...

STORY: EDITORS NOTE: THIS SCRIPT AND VIDEO HAVE BEEN REFILED DUE TO A U.S.-CHINA TRADE DEAL BEING REACHED WITH A FRAMEWORK TO REMOVE CHINESE EXPORT RESTRICTIONS ON RARE EARTH MINERALS. THE STORY WAS ...

At the end of 2025, rare earth elements sit in an awkward intersection between climate ambitions, industrial policy and geopolitics. They are not the most important minerals by volume in the clean ...

Particles from Earth’s atmosphere may be preserved in the Moon's soil, offering a long-term record of Earth’s atmospheric ...

The world is moving fast towards clean energy. Solar panels on rooftops, wind turbines along coastlines, hydro dams powering ...

This story is part of the Grist series Unearthed: The Mining Issue, which examines the global race to extract critical minerals for the clean energy transition. In the decade since the world pledged ...