Sunday, November 13, 2016

Science in Fiction (#22): Flashfall by Jenny Moyer


Welcome to this month's Science in Fiction feature! Science in Fiction is a meme I created to showcase the wonderful aspects of science in Young Adult fiction novels. For more information and previous feature, check out the "Science in Fiction" tag!

This month, I'm featuring Flashfall by Jenny Moyer!




Flashfall is an incredible story about mining under the earth, and the dangers both below and above ground. Orion is an expert miner, and she comes so close to reaching the goal of 400 g of cirium (the element that is most powerful for energy usage) when things fall apart.

Today, I'm going to talk about elements and precious metals!

I'm sure you've all encountered the Periodic Table at some point? Maybe?

Source: Wikipedia

The Periodic Table is vastly important in the world of science. It's not only an organized presentation of chemical elements - it provides a wealth of information on those elements and their properties. Unfortunately, there is a growing shortage of a significant number of elements.

Did you know that...

- Gold (Au) is pretty valuable, it's pretty rare, and it's running out. Yes, it's running out. The production of gold is slowing. Known gold reserves are dwindling. So, expect a rise in the price of gold in the next ten to twenty years!

- Antimony (Sb) is likely to be one of the first elements to run out. Antimony is used in lead-acid batteries flame retardants, alloys, PET, even some medicines and drugs.

- The rare earth metals, a group of 17 elements, are incredibly powerful. These elements, which include dysprosium (Dy) and yttrium (Y), are used in smartphones, TVs, aircraft engines, MRI scans, even weapons. The elements have amazing chemical properties, and are highly abundant on Earth.

- We're running out of helium (He). That sounds ridiculous (for some reason) but it's true. Helium is a non-renewable element that is produced from the radioactive decay of uranium. There has always been very little helium in the atmosphere. Helium has many uses - in MRI machines, in welding, in semiconductors, to reach the lowest temperatures of cryogen.

- We're running low on phosphorous (P), too. Phosphorous is very important in the agricultural world - it is part of most fertilizers. While phosphorous is a non-renewable resource, the phosphorous cycle is a closed cycle. However, the cycle is often broken, in recent times. Not much phosphorous that is mined makes it back into the soil to keep the cycle going. This could have very negative consequences on the world's food supply.


Check out the following graphic, posted in 2014 by Jeff Desjardins. (Click on it to go directly to the page, to enlarge the image.) This gives a good idea of when certain important elements will run out - though it does not list many other important elements not relating to the energy sector.



Are you surprised over the shortage of certain elements? Did you know of the existence of several of the above-mentioned elements? Do you think scientists should look to space to find more sources of elements, or new elements?

26 comments:

  1. What a cool feature! And this is a fascinating subject- I had no idea we were running out of certain elements. I'll be checking out that graphic you shared. Oh and I just saw this last week- here's a link you may find interesting.

    http://elements.wlonk.com/ElementUses.htm

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    1. Thank you! There were plenty more that I could have talked about, but didn't want to get too boring.

      That's awesome, thank you!

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  2. I didn't realize we were running out of these, but I should have if I gave it much thought. Interesting and serious facts. Thanks for putting together the post and sharing, Alyssa.

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    1. Thank YOU for stopping by! I appreciate you sharing your thoughts on the subject. ^_^

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  3. I enjoyed this post today and no, I didn't know we were running out of certain elements. You also taught me about elements I haven't heard of before.

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    1. Thank you! I try to mix things up. I'm glad you were interested!

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  4. This is really cool, Alyssa! I had no idea that we were running out of so many important elements. And I have heard the term "rare earth metals" but never really thought much about them. But the other day someone told me about rare earth magnets which I guess are super strong. Science is fascinating, this post makes me want to read more non fiction:-)

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    1. And more that I didn't name! It's scary. And now you know! The rare earth metals are not as rare as one might be led to believe, and they are really cool. :D

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  5. Interesting post of science. Thanks.

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  6. Amazingly fantastic post! I have a biology degree so stuff like this fascinates me!

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    1. I'm glad! Always great to see another science-y person in the blogosphere. =)

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  7. I never realized about any of these!! I guess it makes sense about gold though especially with all the hunts for gold and gold rushes. Still sad to think about. Very informative...thank you for sharing!!

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    1. Yeah! Gold is the tip of the iceberg.

      Thank YOU! :D

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  8. Oh wow. That's some interesting stuff there. My husband is in the mining game and I already had an inkling of some of the information you shared but some is very new to me. I had no idea we were running out if helium, or even how it comes about, so that was a great fact! Phosphorus is also an incredibly interesting (and scary) fact that you brought up. Definitely gives one something to ponder.

    Great post! I'm coming back to read these every week from now on!

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    1. That's so interesting! Also I would never have known that you were married. o_o

      Helium took me by surprise! I did a double-take when I read about it.

      Thank you, Di! It's a monthly feature. :D

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  9. Ick.. I learned this as a junior waaaay back in High School and I can tell you that although this was a very interesting subject... I may have fell asleep on certain days! haha :)

    I love this feature, BTW!

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    1. Awwww! Hey, chemistry isn't for everyone, and that is okay. =)

      Thank you, Zee!

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  10. Oh no, seeing your post and the Periodic Table just have me flashbacks to 11th grade Chemistry. I barely survived that class. Thank heavens for a science-minded lab partner!

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    1. LOL Barb! I am glad you survived, you and the lab partner!

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  11. This is SUCH a cool feature! If science had been this interesting in high school, I may've taken more than just the required bio class. ;)

    I admit that I'm surprised to see how many elements are running low/out! As much as I support environmentalism and green energy, I don't actually know much of the science behind it (and certainly very little about chemistry in general).

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    1. Ha! The way high schools teach chemistry, it's not as interesting as it could be... you really have to love the stuff.

      I try to share a little bit of science every month! I'm hoping to talk more about renewable energy in a future post. =)

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  12. Oh my God! knowing this is so cool! I had no idea we were running out of these elements. I didn't even know that was possible.
    This is such a great post!

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    1. Isn't it bizarre? Not all elements are renewable, unfortunately!

      Thank you, Lis!

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  13. Catching up on commenting, and seeing this book all over, haha :) I think I need it. Ugh. Gorgeous science post Alyssa :D Loved reading this. <3

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    1. Thank you! Flashfall was SO good, Carina. I think you'd love it!

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