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Why the minerals we need for our tech are in an unusual place

Professor Rachel Mills is a marine geochemist who studies the sea floor and hydrothermal vents, where water erupts from the earth's crust at 360 degrees. The thick plumes emit many metals such as copper, gold, iron and rare earth minerals that are deposited on the sea bed. There is a lot of interest in mining the valuable deposits, but can this be done without upsetting the ocean's eco-system? Presented by Jim Al-Khalili.

First broadcast on The Life Scientific, 19 June 2018.

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Duration:

3 minutes

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