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The article offers information on the design of the exascale supercomputer by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Topics discussed in the competition that U.S. faces from China for supercomputers; the Argonne National Laboratory that will be building the computer; and the scientists' plans to integrate central processing units (CPUs) with graphical processing units in the supercomputer.

The article reports that supplies of rare earth elements (REEs) such as lanthanum, lutetium and scandium are diminishing because of their increased use in electronics and energy efficient technology. China produces more than 97 percent of all REEs, which are used in products including cell phones, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines and missile motors. Rare earths are often mixed together in ores, which must be separated and purified. In April 2010 the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) is scheduled to release a report concerning rare-earth shortages. INSET: Mission: Irreplaceable?.

The article discusses trade restrictions and tariffs imposed on rare earth elements by China that will limit U.S. production of storage batteries intended for use in electric cars. China is noted to produce the vast majority of rare earth elements that are used in various electronic products and green-energy technologies. The article describes U.S. efforts to accelerate domestic production of rare earth elements.

Reports on Chinese scientists' efforts to petition the Chinese government to erase the label of `counterrevolutionary' to the participants in the 1989 demonstrations in Tiananmen Square. Tolerance for political dissent.