That loophole is enabled by a 20-pound device, called a node. You stick it in the ground, it connects to a satellite, and then it listens for anomalies beneath the earth—anomalies that could indicate the presence of things like copper, gold, lithium, or other important minerals. These are the kinds of resources that make modern life possible. And because these nodes make a relatively small impact, there aren’t yet regulations about where they can be placed. The journalist Lauren Steele has been covering this story for “The Atlantic.” She accompanied two mountain guides who’d been paid to plant these nodes in Utah’s Tushar Mountains. She’s joining us to talk about how these nodes are changing the future of mining in Utah, elsewhere around the country, and maybe even in outer space.
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Lauren Steele | Journalist and filmmaker. The story she wrote for “The Atlantic” is called “The Mysterious Devices Speeding Mining Exploration in Utah.”
Airdate: Apr. 8, 2026