High-tech and green-tech uses of rare metals

High-tech and green-tech uses of rare metals. A, Typical cell phones contain metals such as tantalum, platinum, palladium, gold, silver, and copper. B, Giant wind turbines often contain 2,000-kilogram magnets with up to 320 kilograms of neodymium. C, A hybrid car and the many rare earth elements required for its production. Overall figure simplified from Ore Geology Reviews; (B) photo from Wikimedia Commons; (C) adapted from EE Times, photo from Wikimedia Commons.