Kuratore
The Future of Technology Is Hiding on the Ocean Floor
Article

The Future of Technology Is Hiding on the Ocean Floor

Maddie Stone
Gizmodo, 2016
Read the article

Read offline

auto-generated audio
  • 0.5×
  • 0.75×
  • 1×
  • 1.25×
  • 1.5×
  • 1.75×
1×
auto-generated audio

Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Innovative

Recommendation

Deep in the ocean, lying on the seabed, you’ll find vast fields of manganese nodules filled with rare earth metals – the materials that make smartphones, laptops and certain life-saving medications possible. Journalist Maddie Stone highlights the manifold uses of these metals, and, recognizing them as a finite resource, details the growing demand for them that could lead to deep-sea mining. getAbstract recommends this article to businesses interested in investing in deep-ocean research, as well as to scientists and environmentalists concerned about the negative impact that such activities could have on entire ocean ecosystems.

Summary

A booming technology sector has created high demand for elements known as rare earth metals, which make smartphone components, cancer treatment medications and clean energy technology possible. Recent discoveries indicate a great abundance of these metals located in manganese nodules at the bottom of the sea – an estimated 15 million tons in the Clarion Clipperton Zone of the Pacific Ocean alone. Current extraction on land is just 100,000 tons per year; therefore the plentiful supply on the seabed is of great interest to many countries...

About the Author

Maddie Stone is a staff writer at Gizmodo, a design and technology blog that features articles on the latest science and technology applications.

Comment on this summary or Start Discussion