Wigs are popular fashion accessories for Nigerian women. However, many are laden with heavy metals and pesticides.
Aerial view of the Pinto Valley copper mine, located on private and U.S. national forest lands in Gila County, Ariz.
Wild Horizon/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Hard rock minerals like gold, silver, copper and lithium on public lands belong to the American public, but under a 150-year-old law, the US gives them away for free.
A 19th-century depiction of a surgeon treating the foot of a male patient.
Historical image collection by Bildagentur-online/Alamy
Keeping wounds clean and infection free has challenged people for thousands of years.
While people may be familiar with precious metals, which are often at the heart of conflicts, there are also metals that are essential to good health.
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Iron fights anemia. Bismuth relieves gastric problems. Lithium acts against depression and gold can treat rheumatoid arthritis. Metals are precious tools for good health.
Most of the world’s electronics are not recycled, posing health and environmental risks.
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Technical advances are reducing the volume of e-waste generated in the US as lighter, more compact products enter the market. But those goods can be harder to reuse and recycle.
The Bingham Canyon open-pit copper mine in Utah has operated since 1903.
David Guthrie/Flickr
Many socks, towels and other textiles are treated with silver nanoparticles to kill germs and odors. When the silver washes out, it can pollute waterways. Two chemists propose a way to collect it from wastewater.
The central square of Real del Monte, Mexico.
Diego Delso/Wikimedia
Joint replacement surgery comes with a big risk of infection. New implant technology that can release silver ions inside the body could help – and without increasing antibiotic resistance.
A microscopic version of this kills bacteria.
Ed Schipul
The use of silver in medicine is as old as western medicine itself. Hippocrates is known to have used it to treat ulcers and wounds, the Romans almost certainly knew of its healing properties, its use…
Gold and silver are traditionally considered “safe havens”.
Image sourced from shutterstock.com
Safe haven investments are investments that provide a low level of risk during periods of extreme economic uncertainty. The problem is that a safe haven investment is a safe haven investment until it is…
Chercheur au Centre d’histoire culturelle des sociétés contemporaines, Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ) – Université Paris-Saclay