Earlier in this series, we made the case for copper being “the metal that built technology.” Some readers took issue with that statement, noting correctly that meteoric iron and gold were worked long before our ancestors were able to locate and exploit ...

Apparently, folks in the material science world are totally over the fact that we're able to 3D print titanium alloys willy-nilly. Because they have exceptional strength-to-weight ratios, corrosion resistance, and biocompatibility, titanium alloys are used ...

Although progress is often gradual and incremental, on occasion it is both rapid and transformational. More than 250 years ago, a new method for producing an expensive and niche material was developed: steel. Through that breakthrough, costs to produce ...