Rare earth may refer to: Rare-earth elements, a group of elements on the periodic table Rare-earth mineral, a mineral substantively composed of these elements Rare-earth magnet, a type of magnet that employs rare earth elements to increase effectiveness Rare Earth hypothesis, the theory that complex life in the universe is exceptionally rare as a proper noun: Rare Earth: Why Complex Life Is Uncommon in the Universe, a book by Peter Ward and Donald E. Brownlee Rare Earth (band), an American musical group Rare Earth Records, a subsidiary of Motown Records which produced rock music