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Materials Science

2 GoKawiil briefs on this topic

Phoenix Tailings extracts rare earth metals from mining waste

Tomás Villalón Jr., an MIT-trained materials science engineer, cofounded Phoenix Tailings in 2019 after working at MIT spinoff Boston Metal on decarbonizing steelmaking. The company has developed a process to extract rare earth metals from mining waste rather than through conventional mining.

technologyreview.com · 2026-10-20

Room-Temperature Superconductor Search Advances but Practical Use Remains Elusive

Researchers continue to push toward superconductors that operate without extreme cooling, a goal that has driven physics research for decades. Despite incremental progress in materials science, truly practical, room-temperature superconductors that could be deployed at scale have not yet been achieved.

gizmodo.com · 2026-09-19