Investors seemed less concerned by the risks of digging up minerals, more by potential political obstacles in the wake of the Canadian government's intervention to block BHP Billiton's hostile takeover of Potash Corporation.

ECONOMIST: Boom time for miners in a resource-hungry region

Ouyang advocates eventually mining the moon for minerals such as titanium and for potential nuclear fuels such as helium-3.

NPR: China Aims High For Its Space Program

Meanwhile, private firms push ever further into remote areas in search of lumber, minerals, oil and gas, creating a whole new series of potential flashpoints.

ECONOMIST: Canada

These geomicrobiological changes can capture or release toxic metals and radionuclides attached to minerals making these interactions vital to our understanding of environmental contamination and also to exploit potential bioremediation techniques to treat contaminants.

UNESCO: 2011 UK and Ireland Winners