This mineral makes your life run – and now it’s a trade issue

Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Rod Eggert contributed to this article about how Neodymium is a rare earth, one of the minerals near the bottom of the periodic table that are crucial for everyday life. The element is among the most valuable of all the rare earths because it’s so widespread in so-called “permanent” magnets. And China has a near-monopoly on its processing.  February 11, 2026.