IEEE

IEEE Spectrum reports that monazite-bearing heavy mineral sands, long mined mainly for titanium and zircon, are emerging as an overlooked alternative source of rare earth elements. The article argues these sands could diversify supply away from China's dominance, with monazite extraction potentially easing critical mineral bottlenecks for tech and defense industries.

An argument is being made that engineering ethics belongs in core technical training rather than as an optional add-on. Writing for IEEE Spectrum, the case is put forward that engineers should be taught ethical reasoning alongside technical skills, given how deeply engineering decisions affect society. Readers are debating whether ethics can genuinely be taught in technical programmes or whether it emerges from professional experience.

GFiber, Google's fiber internet service, and Qualcomm have announced a Wi-Fi 8 gateway, even though the standard has not yet been certified by the IEEE. Hardware announcements for the next generation of Wi-Fi are ramping up ahead of formal ratification, with Qualcomm supplying the underlying chipset technology. The news is drawing attention from networking enthusiasts and industry watchers tracking the early Wi-Fi 8 ecosystem.