copper

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Thieves Target EV Charging Stations Nationwide

They're stealing cables that contain valuable copper wiring

(Newser) - Just before 2am on a chilly April night in Seattle, a Chevrolet Silverado pickup stopped at an electric-vehicle charging station on the edge of a shopping center parking lot. Two men got out. A security camera recorded them pulling out bolt cutters. One man snipped several charging cables; the other...

Family Finds Small Fortune in Late Man's Home, All in Pennies

And the 1 million coins are worth more than $10K—they're made of pure copper

(Newser) - For years, California real estate agent John Reyes, his wife, and members of her extended family have been slowly (as their schedules allow) cleaning out the home of her late father, Fritz, located in the Pico-Union neighborhood of Los Angeles. One find in particular, however, in the deceased German immigrant'...

They Paid $36M for Copper. Instead, They Got Rocks

Mercuria Energy is the victim of an elaborate fraud

(Newser) - One of the five biggest oil traders in the world paid $36 million for 6,000 tons of copper, but instead received a bunch of painted rocks. Mercuria Energy Group, a Swiss commodities trader, went to Turkish police after realizing the 300 containers shipped from Turkey to China on eight...

Alleged Copper Thieves Had a Bold Scheme

Florida police say they dressed as a work crew, stole it from manhole

(Newser) - What's the best way to rob $30,000 worth of copper wiring? Police say a group of thieves attempted to pull off the odd heist in plain sight by posing as a nighttime construction crew in Hempstead, Fla., reports WSVN . And it might have worked had police not been...

Back-to-School Surprise for Detroit: Dry Water Fountains

Lead, copper prompt 106 Detroit schools to shut off water; kids will drink from water coolers

(Newser) - Some 50,000 Detroit public school students will start the school year Tuesday by drinking water from coolers, not fountains, after the discovery of elevated levels of lead or copper in the supply—the latest setback in a state already dealing with the consequences of contaminated tap water in Flint...

Iowa Issues Warning to Cocktail Drinkers

That trendy Moscow Mule might pose a risk in copper mug

(Newser) - One of the most talked-about cocktails this week is the trendy Moscow Mule, but for all the wrong reasons. You can thank Iowa. The spate of headlines was kicked off by an official state health advisory warning that the drink, usually served in a copper mug, poses a health risk...

This Might Be World's First Polluted River

Researchers find riverbed with copper pollution from 7,000 years ago

(Newser) - It's no surprise that humans pollute their waterways, but now it appears we've been doing it a lot longer than thought. In a study published this month in Science of the Total Environment , researchers say they've found evidence of a polluted river from 7,000 years ago....

How Copper Could Save Hospital Patients' Lives

Surfaces made from the metal can kill dangerous germs

(Newser) - One in 25 patients in US hospitals gets a new infection at the facility, according to the federal health department, and the numbers are three times that in non-industrialized countries, a Chilean researcher tells NPR . Healthcare-acquired infections, as they're known, can lead to longer hospital stays, increased treatment costs,...

Scientists Produce 'Coldest Cubic Meter in the Universe'

Project in Italy linked to study of matter and antimatter

(Newser) - If you're dreading the winter cold, know that things could be a lot worse. Scientists in Italy have cooled 880 pounds of copper to a temperature approaching absolute zero; that's 0 Kelvin, or -459.67 degrees Fahrenheit, Science Daily reports. The copper reached a temperature of -459.66...

This Tiny Copper Awl Is Rewriting History
This Tiny Copper Awl
Is Rewriting History
in case you missed it

This Tiny Copper Awl Is Rewriting History

Awl is oldest metal object ever found in Middle East

(Newser) - A small copper awl found in a woman's ancient grave in Israel is rewriting history. It's the oldest metal object ever found in the Middle East, and was probably owned by the apparently important 40-year-old woman buried with it in an extravagant Tel Tsaf grave, LiveScience reports. The...

Too Much Copper in Diet May Boost Alzheimer's Risk

Trick is finding the right balance, new study suggests

(Newser) - New research suggests that too much copper in our diets is harmful when it comes to Alzheimer's, reports the BBC . That's especially worrying because copper is so tough to avoid: It's found in fruits, vegetables, red meats, shellfish, vitamin supplements—and of course, water, thanks to copper...

Bad Hair Day? Blame Your Pipes

Copper may be the culprit

(Newser) - When you shake your fist in anger on a bad hair day, shake in the direction of your home's pipes. Scientists say copper might be the culprit, per research published in the International Journal of Cosmetic Science picked up by the Telegraph . The dastardly process: Copper found in pipes...

New Problem for Sandy Homeowners: Copper Bandits

At least 32 pipe thefts in one community: police

(Newser) - Homeowners in one Jersey shore community have already seen their houses ravaged by superstorm Sandy—and now copper bandits are adding insult to injury, NBC New York reports. Police say at least 32 copper pipe thefts have been reported in the area, many of them from still-vacant homes. And the...

Good News for Haiti: Gold!
 Good News for 
 Haiti: Gold! 

Good News for Haiti: Gold!

Troubled nation starts digging for $20B fortune

(Newser) - What news for a nation blighted by poverty , disease , and a devastating earthquake : Haiti is home to lucrative gold mines. And copper and silver ones too. Potentially worth $20 billion, the precious metal finds are already creating hundreds of jobs and new roads, the AP reports. What's more, mining...

Copper Thieves Raid Lincoln's Tomb

Police suspect statue's sword ended up as scrap metal

(Newser) - Police in Illinois are looking for a thief who emancipated a 3-foot copper sword from a statue of a Civil War artilleryman at Abraham Lincoln's final resting place. Investigators believe the sword—which replaced a bronze one stolen from the same statue at Lincoln's tomb in the 1890s—...

Copper Thieves Ransack Light Poles in Florida

Drivers on I-95 taking dark rides

(Newser) - Drivers on stretches of I-95 in Florida may have been wondering whether their headlights were fading, but it turns out that copper thieves are to blame for some dark rides of late. Somebody's been stealing the wiring from highway light poles, presumably to sell for scrap, reports CBS Miami....

McCain Leans Right Ahead of Primary

Conservative foe expected to attack on spending, immigration

(Newser) - John McCain is shimmying to the right and focusing on local Arizona issues ahead of what could be a tough primary challenge from former congressman JD Hayworth. A recent poll has McCain’s favorable rating at just 40%, the lowest since 1994 when he was embroiled in the Keating Five...

In Afghanistan, We Fight and Die, China Wins

In fact, Beijing comes out ahead whether we stay or go

(Newser) - American and Chinese interests seem to be conveniently aligned in Afghanistan, writes Robert D. Kaplan. By securing the country, NATO forces have allowed China access to vast mineral deposits and trade routes to the Indian Ocean. In turn, Chinese companies employ Afghan workers, stabilizing the economy and hence the nation....

Chile's Thrift Pays Off as Downturn Bites Elsewhere

Finance minister hailed for dodging commodity bubble

(Newser) - Chile's thrifty finance minister is starting to look like a prophet as spendthrift, "grasshopper" economies founder around him, the Wall Street Journal reports. Andres Velasco's tight grip on the country's copper revenue during the commodities boom made him and his party deeply unpopular at the time, but the country...

Meet the Men Who Make Oscars
 Meet the Men Who Make Oscars 

Meet the Men Who Make Oscars

Spotlight misses Chicago workers behind Hollywood's most coveted trophy

(Newser) - Come Feb. 22, Hollywood will be fêting the stars who take home the Oscars—but there’s little chance any of the acceptance speeches will thank the guys who made the statues. From Martin Vega, who melts pewter alloy for the hardware, to Eladio Gonzalez, who gives Oscar his...

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