Rare earth elements are getting a lot of ink these days, as questions about future supply have led to both political and economic tensions, and to a renewed search for rare earth deposits in North America, Australia, and parts of Southeast Asia. But some researchers think less rare earths, not more, are the key to sustaining industry’s need for the minerals going forward. GE scientists have devised a new breed of nanostructured magnets that require smaller amounts of rare earths to achieve the same high magnetism.