Japan was all set to tap into a $26 billion underwater treasure trove of cobalt and nickel near Minami-Tori-shima—key metals for electric vehicle (EV) batteries. But now, a breakthrough in battery tech might make that whole plan obsolete. Scientists have created a new type of battery cathode using cheap, abundant materials (disordered rock-salt particles) that don’t rely on these rare metals. If this innovation takes off, Japan’s deep-sea mining project could end up being a costly relic before it even gets started.

Editor’s Note: This isn’t just about Japan losing out on a potential payday—it’s a sign of how fast clean energy tech is evolving. Mining the ocean floor has huge environmental risks, so if we can skip it altogether with better batteries, that’s a win for sustainability. But it also shows how shaky the economics of resource extraction can be when science moves faster than digging machines.