ScienceAugust 22, 2026

terbium

TUR-bee-um

Definition

A rare earth metallic element that is a crucial component in high-performance magnets used for clean energy and defense technologies.

Etymology

The word is derived from Ytterby, a village in Sweden where the mineral containing the element was first discovered; it was named in honor of the site.

In the news

Terbium is cited as a specific example of the valuable rare earth elements that the West Virginia University project aims to produce at scale to meet global industrial demand.

Rare earths are now being extracted from mine wastewater

Read the full article ↗

NewsBytes

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