Germanium and gallium are two metals that are of great importance for modern high technologies. Both are important raw materials for the semiconductor industry, for fiber optic cables and for photovoltaics. They are thus essential components for shaping electromobility and the energy transition. Using new analytical methods, the research group led by Michael Bau, Professor of Geochemistry at Jacobs University in Bremen, has studied the distribution of germanium and gallium in iron-manganese crusts from the deep sea. The results have now been published in Chemical Geology.