Japan nano-tech team creates palladium-like alloy: report

It seems that China's attempt to bludgeon Japan with embargos has resulted in a flurry of innovation from Japanese technicians and scientists.

Science is not like in the cartoons. You don't go "there's a crisis on, I'd better invent stuff in the next 5 minutes"

Research like this is the culmination of years and years (sometimes decades) of patient work.

Plus: scientists normally couldn't care less what some politicians are up to.

Scientists need to eat, and they also like attention. Hence, they will research topics that are likely to receive funding, and put themselves in the spotlight if it solves problems that are being focused on by the media. Of course, the science behind the latest development is built up the result of years of research by many scientists from many places. But the team from Kyoto University put it together in a new way and fully deserve kudos for what they did.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't rhodium another expensive platinum group metal just like palladium, also largely limited to Russia and South Africa?

Scientists need to eat, and they also like attention. Hence, they will research topics that are likely to receive funding,

As a scientist myself I have to say you're completely wrong.

We each have our area of specialty. This is a specialty acquired over YEARS (sometimes decades). We can't just switch to another area of research because "the money over there is good". We do what interests _us_ (not the politicians).

Fun is the motivational factor that has kept people like me learning one area of expertise (which doesn't pay anything) and later on working on it. Pay is secondary. If we wanted to get rich then there'd be other modes of doing so with far less effort.

Attention is also pretty low on the list of priorities for a scientist. Who cares whether some high-school dropout (or politician with barely more education) thinks your research is cool? Our peers are the ones who judge - not some guy in a suit, nor some prize, nor the numbers in your bank account.

It doesn't require genius for a country to acknowledge that their economy is dependent on certain resources. If those resources are controlled by a country who tends to be less than friendly, then the leadership of that country would be wise to invest in replacement or alternate technologies. These scientists in Japan, and elsewhere, likely started this line of research years ago.

As a scientist myself I have to say you're completely wrong.
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Attention is also pretty low on the list of priorities for a scientist. Who cares whether some high-school dropout (or politician with barely more education) thinks your research is cool? Our peers are the ones who judge - not some guy in a suit, nor some prize, nor the numbers in your bank account.

That may be true, but scientists don't live in isolation and this above is the usual aspects of psychology that we all have to deal with.

So it may be that you believe the above but that is not a reality. The "reality" is that science has to integrate with the 'outer world'.

The outer world is much more impactful on the sciences that are investigated, than those within science tend to like to believe...and thus your comment borders of false bravado. Sad, but true.

As well, invention should integrate human values, otherwise it can border on being dangerous or detrimental.

Consider impact before acting, IMHO.

So it may be that you believe the above but that is not a reality.

Hard as it may seem to grasp: I live that reality (and I have yet to meet a fellow scientist who doesn't share that attitude). Go be a scientist. Go to conferences. _Meet_ actual scientists. Then come back and we'll argue again.

As for human values: In this case scientists are no less ethical than anyone out there (mostly more so I'd argue). Sometimes we invent 'fire'. But you'd be hard pressed to find the scientist who actually uses it for his own ends (apart from in Hollywood movies).

The politicos need to consider the impact. That's what _they_ are being paid for.

Mostly the problem is that while we're researching stuff the implications can't even be fathomed. Could Röntgen have known that X-rays can cause cancer? Could Einstein have known that his formula would give us atomic energy (or the H-bomb)?

I think you have a very naive view of science and scientists.

As a scientist myself I have to say you're completely wrong.

We each have our area of specialty. This is a specialty acquired over YEARS (sometimes decades). We can't just switch to another area of research because "the money over there is good". We do what interests _us_ (not the politicians).

Fun is the motivational factor that has kept people like me learning one area of expertise (which doesn't pay anything) and later on working on it. Pay is secondary. If we wanted to get rich then there'd be other modes of doing so with far less effort.

Attention is also pretty low on the list of priorities for a scientist. Who cares whether some high-school dropout (or politician with barely more education) thinks your research is cool? Our peers are the ones who judge - not some guy in a suit, nor some prize, nor the numbers in your bank account.

Nicely said and right on the mark. I wish more people understood this.

Scientists are humans.
They all have human brains.
QED, as they say.

I think this thread hits at the core of what's wrong with a lot of comments on this site: if people could take @antialias' comments seriously, then they would understand what science is all about.

I am on the scientists' side. The world is full of useless critics.

This piece is interesting for me as it feeds directly into Condensed Matter Nuclear Reactions. The next global conference will be in Chennai, India.

Link=http://www.lenr-canr.org/

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't rhodium another expensive platinum group metal just like palladium, also largely limited to Russia and South Africa?

Check the current price of rhodium. It will give you nosebleed. Although this new alloy is a commendable achievement, sadly it is still traped by the cost and rarity issues of the Pt group metals.

Rhodium is the rarest element from platinum group metal, so I don't see a huge economical space for wide replacement of palladium.