Modern society is completely dependent upon a set of technologies that includes computer chips, fiber optic cables, lasers, video screens, electric motors and batteries.

All of those things are dependent upon a small category of chemicals called rare earth elements.

Their importance in technology has made them a focal point of international trade and politics.

Learn more about rare earth elements and how the world has become completely reliant on them on this

episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. So let's start out with the fundamentals. What is a rare earth element? There are 17 rare earth

elements on the periodic table. The two lightest are scandium and itrium which are

located in the third period or the third

column of the periodic table. The other 15 are the Lanthenine elements. If you

looked at a periodic table you might remember that there's a section of

elements that are separated

from the rest and form two rows at the bottom. The Lanthonides are the top row of those

two rows. The 15 Lanthonide elements are Lanthinum, serium, presiodimium, neodymium,

promethium, samarium,

europeum, gadololinium, turbium, dysprosium, homium, erbium, Thulium, Eterbium, and Lutetium.

And I just want to say that after reading that list, my hat goes off to Tom Lare.

So I think it's fair to say that for the most part none of us deal with

these elements on a daily basis. They're all soft silvery metals that are rather heavy.

However, I don't want to get into a chemistry analysis of each element because that would be painfully boring

boring wax in your ears.

I will just add as a fun fact that four of those 17 elements are named after the

tiny village of ETERB in Sweden.

What's really interesting about rare earth elements is their importance in the world economy

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