Plants Could Be the Next Rare Earths Mining Frontier

China just proved something wild: a humble fern can produce rare earth minerals inside its own tissues—something scientists thought only happened miles underground.

Researchers from China’s Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry discovered nanoscale monazite crystals naturally forming inside Blechnum orientale, an evergreen fern that hyperaccumulates rare earths. The kicker? The mineral crystallized under normal surface conditions, not the extreme heat and pressure normally required. Results got published in Environmental Science & Technology this month.

Why This Actually Matters

Monazite is everywhere in high-tech gear—lasers, semiconductors, radiation-resistant materials, military applications. The US currently imports most of its rare earths, which is… a problem.

Last week, the US Department of Interior flagged 60 critical minerals on its 2025 watchlist. Rare earths topped the list, with neodymium, scandium, and dysprosium marked as highest-risk commodities. Supply disruption in any of these would hit the American economy hardest.

This fern breakthrough? It’s a proof-of-concept that you don’t need massive mining operations to extract these metals.

The Geopolitical Angle

Beijing holds ~70% of global rare earth processing capacity. Washington knows it. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent just said a new rare earths deal with China should be “hopefully” done by Thanksgiving—signal that DC is serious about diversifying supply chains.

The US has already struck partnerships with Australia, Japan, Malaysia, and Thailand to reduce dependency. Now add biotech to the toolkit.

Real Talk: Is This Production-Ready?

Not yet. Researchers admit phytomining won’t replace conventional mining overnight. But here’s what changes: if you can scale this, you’re looking at a lower-impact extraction method that could provide supplementary supply without the environmental footprint of traditional mining.

For countries racing to secure rare earths—especially amid chip wars and defense buildup—having multiple supply pathways suddenly becomes strategically valuable.

The race for resource dominance just got weirder. And that’s probably good news for everyone outside the current supply chain monopoly.