mineral

Chinese export restrictions on critical minerals have led companies -- such as France's Thales and Germany's Rheinmetall -- to warn of higher costs as they restructure supply chains.

These included hospital and micro-CT scans, thin sections, X-ray spectroscopy, clay mineral analyses, and a close study of the rock layers where the fossils were found.

U.S. and Russian companies could join to exploit the vast mineral wealth in the Arctic.

The intriguing markings, nicknamed leopard spots and poppy seeds, contain minerals produced by chemical reactions that could be associated with ancient microbes.

Coveted for its vast mineral resources, the central African country is seeing sectors of the economy other than mining being crowded out, the FAO said.