Abundant in Inner Mongolia

摘要

What do smart bombs, euro banknotes and headphones have in common? They all contain "rare earths": 17 obscure chemical elements, sales of which add up to less than $2 billion each year. But without them, industries worth trillions of dollars would grind to a halt. Their phosphorescent and magnetic properties make them indispensable for electronic displays in mobile phones, portable music players and plasma televisions.