Although copper and stone tools continued to be used, bronze was far more successful in creating sharp edges that could be used as anything from saws and scythes to weapons.

March silver futures in the U.S. neared 30-year highs on Wednesday, and March palladium futures hit a 9-year high, while copper and gold also continued to record levels seen Tuesday.

The reason for the continued use of analog video includes easy access to low cost circuit designs, use of inexpensive copper cabling, and analog video degrades "gracefully" in noisy environments.