Magnesium

If you're getting plenty of leafy greens, dark chocolate, nuts, and beans, you're probably doing fine. But if your diet is lacking, you might want to pay attention to this new eye-opening study that links a mineral deficiency issue to DNA changes.

Dementia is a debilitating disease that affects millions of people worldwide. With no available cure, the focus has shifted to prevention. A study has provided new evidence about the link between magnesium intake and brain health.

As useful as steel is, its main weakness may be its vulnerability to corrosion. Researchers in Korea have now developed a new alloy coating that boosts steel’s resistance to rust, by adding a simple extra step in the surface treatment.

Although magnesium is known for being lightweight, riveting pieces of it together can be an involved, energy-intensive process. A new technique is claimed to make doing so much simpler, possibly opening up new uses for the metal.

Both cars and electronic appliances require heat removal systems, typically made of steel or aluminum. That may soon change, though, as scientists have created two magnesium alloys which they claim can reduce the weight of such systems by a third.

​Yesterday the North American Handmade Bicycle Show (NAHBS) wrapped up for another year, held once again in Sacramento, California. Among the many fascinating bikes that we checked out was a model that's built from Allite's revolutionary new Super Magnesium.

The creators of a new high-strength, low-weight metal alloy hope it will find a place as a midpoint between carbon fiber and lightweight aluminum in bicycle manufacture. Allite Super Magnesium​ is lighter and stiffer than aluminum, but not as expensive as carbon fiber.

Magnesium-ion batteries have potential if scientists can crack the problem of finding an efficient electrolyte. Now scientists have developed a solid-state material that appears to be one of the fastest conductors of magnesium-ions, which could lead to safer and more efficient batteries.

The new Sony A9 packs a sophisticated stabilization system, full-frame sensor and crazy autofocus system into its gorgeous, compact magnesium body. Still need that Canon 5D MkIV?

As a general rule, cars use less fuel and are better to drive when all the excess fat is cut away. It might not be a track-focused weapon, but the new Audi A8 is set to benefit from some serious weight saving when it launches later this year, courtesy of a smart mix of materials in its chassis.​

The Toyota Research Institute of North America thinks they’ve found the secret to using magnesium in rechargeable batteries. This would replace lithium as a safer, more energy-dense option for batteries in everything from cell phones to cars.

Scientists are reporting to have overcome some of the main limitations of magnesium as metal for engineering infusing it with nanoparticles to form a new type of super-strong composite material, which could lead to lighter and more efficient airplanes, spacecraft and cars. ​