A mineral found at health food stores could be the key to developing a new line of antibiotics for bacteria that commonly cause diarrhea, tooth decay and, in some severe cases, death.

Xiete is the first new mineral with post-spinel structure found by a Chinese-American team from the Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, which has recently been approved by the Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification of the International Mineralogical Association.

Enlisting an army of plant viruses to their cause, materials researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have identified a small biomolecule that binds specifically to one of the key crystal structures of the body—the calcium compound that is the basic building block of teeth and bone.

A new analysis of ancient minerals called zircons suggests that a harsh climate may have scoured and possibly even destroyed the surface of the Earth's earliest continents.

Gypsum, a rocky mineral is abundant in desert regions where fresh water is usually in very short supply but oil and gas fields are common. Writing in International Journal of Global Environmental Issues, Peter van der Gaag of the Holland Innovation Team, in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, has hit on the idea of using the untapped energy from oil and gas flare-off to release the water locked in gypsum.

From medicine to make-up, plastics to paper - hardly a day goes by when we don't use titanium dioxide.

Use of vitamin and mineral supplements among cancer survivors is widespread, despite inconclusive evidence that such use is beneficial, according to a comprehensive review of scientific literature conducted by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and published Feb. 1 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

With money jingling in its pocket, Universal Power Corp. (TSX.V:UNX, FSE:3U2A) is ready to start exploring both in Africa and also a world away in northern Canada.

New evidence, based on mineral dating, suggests that rocks of the Blue Mountains, the oldest geological formation in Oregon, may have been derived from the Klamath and Sierra Nevada mountain chains, University of Oregon researchers report.

A brand new entry in the global uranium exploration ring, Universal Power Corp. (TSX.V:UNX) began trading under its new name and symbol on October 2nd of this year. Universal’s unique mix of Uranium, Silver and Iron Oxide Copper Gold (“IOCG”) prospects gives investors a unique blend of exposure to upside across various in-demand commodities

To make the products people use every day, from mobile phones and computers to toothpaste, TVs, and cars, the United States relies on a variety of nonfuel minerals that have limited global availability.

The United States uses more than 7.5 trillion pounds of nonfuel minerals each year to produce everyday items such as mobile phones and cars. Two new reports from the National Research Council examine minerals that are critical to the U.S. economy, as well as the effectiveness of the National Defense Stockpile (NDS).