What do cars, precision-guided missiles and the television you're watching right now have in common? They all depend on something called rare earth elements, unusual metals that are sprinkled inside almost every piece of high-tech you can think of. Most people have never heard of them. But we have become so reliant on rare earths that a few years ago, an intense global power struggle broke out over their free flow. The reason is that one country has a virtual monopoly - roughly 90 percent -- of the mining, refining and processing of rare earths -- China. And in 2010, it used that power to disrupt the world's supply. It's especially troubling, because it was the United States that started the rare earth revolution in the first place.

Source: Modern life's devices under China's grip?
From smartphones to cars and defense missiles, modern U.S. life depends on rare earth elements but China dominates the industry

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