36 h. ago Chinese executive named as suspect in Indonesia radioactive contamination probe

Indonesian authorities on Thursday named a Chinese executive of a metal smelting company as a suspect in a caesium-137 contamination case that resulted in the recall of some exports to the US. Lin Jingzhang, who is a director of PT Peter Metal Technology (PMT), has been designated as a suspect, Bara Hasibuan, a spokesperson for the investigating task force, said. “The Certain Crimes Directorate of the Indonesian National Police’s Criminal Investigation Unit has named Lin Jingzhang, a citizen of...

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48 h. ago Oxford slammed for not naming Indonesian researchers in rare flower find

A recent rediscovery of the extremely rare Rafflesia hasseltii, a giant parasitic red flower, in a forest in Indonesia’s West Sumatra has sparked backlash following an initial social media post by Oxford University that left out local researchers involved in the search and credited only its scientist. The uproar has exposed the perceived lack of equal recognition for Western researchers and their Global South counterparts when they collaborate, and the lingering legacy of colonialism in...

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3 d. ago Basic research challenges China's monopoly on rare earth elements

Basic research challenges China's monopoly on rare earth elements  Phys.org

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3 w. ago Chinese team reports first recovery of rare earth minerals from living plant

A Chinese-led team of scientists says it has found a naturally formed mineral with rare earth elements in a fern, a world first that offers a “green circular model” for extracting high-value rare earths, according to an institution behind the study. The researchers said the discovery of nanoscale monazite in a living plant “opens new possibilities for the direct recovery of functional rare earth element materials”. “To our knowledge, this is the earliest reported occurrence of rare earth...

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3 w. ago In world first, Chinese scientists find rare earth minerals from a living plant

A Chinese-led team of scientists says it has found a naturally formed mineral with rare earth elements in a fern, a world first that offers a “green circular model” for extracting high-value rare earths, according to an institution behind the study. The researchers said the discovery of nanoscale monazite in a living plant “opens new possibilities for the direct recovery of functional rare earth element materials”. “To our knowledge, this is the earliest reported occurrence of rare earth...

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3 w. ago China and Cook Islands team up on marine survey as rare earths race expands to sea

China and the Cook Islands have wrapped up their first joint scientific expedition in the South Pacific, a region emerging as a focal point in the geopolitical race for rare earths. The 4,000-tonne Chinese marine research vessel Da Yang Hao, one of the most advanced in China, docked at the Avatiu port near the capital Avarua on Saturday, about one month after a US research ship conducted a three-week survey in the region. Welcoming the Da Yang Hao to port, Sun Shuxian, the Chinese vice-minister...

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