Rare earths are today dominating conversations on electric vehicles, wind turbines and next-gen defence gear. Yet many people still misunderstand what “rare earths” actually are. Seventeen little-known elements underwrite the tech that fuels modern life. For decades they mocked chemists, remaining a riddle, until a quantum pioneer named Niel

Rare earths are today steering conversations on electric vehicles, wind turbines and cutting-edge defence gear. Yet most readers often confuse what “rare earths” truly are. These 17 elements appear ordinary, but they drive the technologies we use daily. Their baffling chemistry had scientists scratching their heads for decades—until Niels Bo