/sci/ - Science & Math

>>3333683

All sorts of stuff. From the first post:

>>"which are essential for electric cars, flat-screen TVs, iPods, superconducting magnets, lasers, missiles, night-vision goggles, wind turbines and many other advanced products."

Basically all modern electronics as well as the technologies we need to maintain our present standard of living in a post-oil world.

>>2030149

Wouldn't be surprised if China did something like that. They're getting into deep sea mining, and being dickheads, they recently cut off our supply of rare earth minerals that we need for electric cars, wind turbines, solar panels and so on.

The sea floor is rich in those minerals. Apparently they intend to maintain their monopoly on them.

I should add mining as well, but that's likely to be a dangerous and unrewarding job. The only places you'd need humans to mine are where conditions prevent the use of tethered robots and where the shore is too far away to house workers on land. China is more likely to do this than anyone else at the moment.

>>1948443

>>Except that most deepsea mining operations operate from the surface and at depths below that attainable with SCUBA(hard suit required).

Yes, hardsuits will be required. We don't have robots capable of doing most of the steps involved in deep sea mining just yet.

It'll be pretty dangerous work. China's also getting in on the act: http://bluelivingideas.com/topics/marine-ocean-sea-life/china-plans-deep-sea-mining-copper-nickel-co
balt-silver-gold-international-waters/

I expect their safety regulations won't be terribly strict. But then, we'll never hear about the men they lose.