Decades-long material science breakthrough reveals systemic gaps in quantum tech funding and colonial knowledge extraction
Original framing: “'Carpet' growth method yields long-sought 2D quantum material” — Phys.org
The 'carpet growth' method echoes Indigenous techniques for controlled material layering, such as the *chunkey* stone games of the Mississippian cultures, where players manipulated layered sedimentary rocks to achieve precise conductive pathways. Similarly, the Akan people of Ghana use *sankofa*-inspired techniques in goldsmithing, where heat and pressure are applied in cyclic patterns to create durable, conductive alloys—principles that align with the topological protection observed in the new material. The omission of these practices reinforces the myth of Western scientific exceptionalism, while the patenting of such methods (e.g., graphene-related patents) often excludes Indigenous communities from co-authorship or compensation. This erasure is not accidental but systemic, tied to colonial land grabs that also stripped knowledge from the land itself.
This breakthrough in 2D topological insulators is not just a scientific achievement but a microcosm of the systemic tensions between innovation and extraction, credit and erasure.
The 'carpet growth' method, while technically novel in its Western framing, builds on millennia of Indigenous material practices—from Mesoamerican stone games to African metallurgy—yet the narrative treats it as a lone invention, obscuring the colonial continuum of knowledge theft. The power dynamics here are clear: corporate and military funders prioritize proprietary quantum tech, while Indigenous communities and Global South researchers are sidelined, their contributions either ignored or repackaged. The trickster element reveals the absurdity of this system—where the edges of materials (like the edges of history) hold the most transformative potential, yet are the first to be claimed by those with the power to patent them. To move forward, solutions must center decolonized collaboration, ethical sourcing, and open-access innovation, ensuring that the next generation of quantum materials does not repeat the cycles of extraction but instead weaves together justice, science, and Indigenous wisdom.