samarium

 https://archive.ph/fX6zY

China produces the entire world’s supply of samarium, a particularly obscure rare earth metal used almost entirely in military applications. Samarium magnets can withstand temperatures hot enough to melt lead without losing their magnetic force. They are essential for withstanding the heat of fast-moving electric motors in cramped spaces like the nose cones of missiles.

On April 4, China halted exports of seven kinds of rare earth metals, as well as magnets made from them. China controls most of the world’s supply of these metals and magnets. China’s Ministry of Commerce declared that these materials had both civilian and military uses, and any further exports would be allowed only with specially issued licenses. The move, according to the ministry, would “safeguard national security” and “fulfill international obligations such as nonproliferation.”

The main American user of samarium is Lockheed Martin, an aerospace and military contractor that puts about 50 pounds of samarium magnets in each F-35 fighter jet. Lockheed Martin responded to questions with a short statement: “We continuously assess the global rare earth supply chain to ensure access to critical materials that support our customers’ missions. Specific questions about the rare earth supply chain will be best addressed by the U.S. government.”

The Defense Department awarded $35 million to MP in early 2022 to start production of samarium and several other rare earths that China has now restricted. MP then spent $100 million, using a lot of its own money, to buy the necessary equipment to process them, said James Litinsky, the company’s chief executive.

The Biden administration soon after awarded $351 million to Australia’s Lynas Rare Earths to build a facility in Texas that would also produce samarium.

Mr. Litinsky said the market for samarium was so small that it would be uneconomical to have two producers in the United States. So MP never installed its samarium processing equipment, which is still in storage.

But Lynas never built its Texas factory, after a permit it had for rare earth mining in Malaysia that was in limbo was eventually renewed. Lynas did not respond to emails and phone calls for comment.

MP is willing to install its samarium processing equipment now only if promised better financial terms by customers, Mr. Litinsky noted. “We felt very burnt by the whole thing,” he said.

Growing almonds

 It's sad to hear people complain about using water to grow food when so much more water is wasted and dumped in the ocean.

Water is a precious resource but so is fertile land and a good climate. If you deny water to farmers you waste that land and climate. Is that a wise choice?

Why do people who complain about private ownership never consider the other side, how public ownership, such as the DMV, is often wasteful and poorly run, seldom providing even marginal service to customers.

Fusarium graminearum

While Fusarium graminearum is a dangerous lifeform, that makes it even more urgent to study it and understand it. This is what Jian's field of study was. She started in China and was invited (hired) to continue it in Michigan.

Feds say

Jian received her doctorate in plant pathogens from Zhejiang University, the complaint states. She received money from a Chinese foundation with backing from the Chinese government to conduct research on a fungus known as Fusarium graminearum, the complaint states.

Jian is a citizen of China who received a doctorate degree in plant pathogens from Zhejiang University

Liu researches the same pathogen, the agent wrote.

https://plantbiology.natsci.msu.edu/faculty_and_research/plb_interactions.aspx

What is

In the complaint submitted in the Department of Justice’s case against the scholar, 33-year-old Yunquing Jian, and her boyfriend, 34-year-old Zunyong Liu, prosecutors cite a 2004 paper published in the journal Molecular Plant Pathology titled “Heading for disaster: Fusarium Graminearum on cereal crops.”

Disaster

Plant pathologist study plant diseases in an effort to be able to control them. Every crop plant has a cadre of diseases that affect the way it can be used by people or at least affect its yield.

Progress

In a groundbreaking study published in Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions, researchers have uncovered vital insights into the pathogenic mechanisms employed by Fusarium graminearum, a notorious fungal pathogen responsible for the devastating disease known as Fusarium head blight (FHB). This discovery could potentially pave the way for developing genetically engineered crops resistant to this harmful pathogen that significantly compromises wheat and barley production worldwide. The findings emphasize the importance of understanding plant-pathogen interactions at a molecular level, which is critical for enhancing crop resilience and ensuring global food security.

Arrest

F. graminearum is already widely prevalent across the U.S. in native grasses around the country as well as crops, scientists say. It spreads and thrives usually during wet weather, causing a common crop disease called Fusarium head blight or head scab, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service.

"It's extremely prevalent in North America. It likely arose in North America, so it's not like a foreign agent coming in. And it's already causing a lot of problems in U.S. agriculture," Harold Kistler, an adjunct professor at the University of Minnesota, told CBS News. Kistler said scientists believe F. graminearum likely originated in North America because all of its closest relatives have been found on the continent.

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