Most people are somewhat familiar with the more common of the earth's mineral resources such as gold, silver, copper and aluminum. But what about rare resources such as platinum?

New Scientist magazine states that "it has been estimated that if all the 500 million vehicles in use today were re-equipped with fuel cells, operating losses would mean that all the world's sources of platinum would be exhausted in 15 years. Unlike oil or diamonds, there is no synthetic alternative" (May 26, 2007). Catalytic converters that control levels of exhaust pollutants are almost completely dependent on platinum.

Although accurately estimating both levels of current use and the availability of extractable reserves of precious metals is a somewhat tricky exercise, experts in the field are expressing understandable concern. Indium is another rare metal in short supply. It is used in large quantities in making LCDs for flat-screen television sets. Likewise tantalum, a rare metal required to manufacture compact electronic cell phones and the like, is becoming scarce.

Whether the marvels of a yet undiscovered new technology can alleviate these potential shortages in sufficient time remains to be seen. (Source: New Scientist.)