OK, why weren't tests of the tie ordered? Sure this was pre DNA forensics, but pollen, fibers and other telling particles might have been found. I'm baffled why they just tagged and bagged it.
You mean Tom's tests? Ask Tom.
I've seen discussion about the tie being connected to Boeing, industrial chemicals, Tektronix, a dentist's office, etc. Check out the link below about the daily operation of a railroad. Go to about 13:40 and watch to 14:15 or so, just 35 seconds. It shows a train going into the repair yard, and men working with lathes, drill presses, torches, and grinders. If it was a Boeing or Tektronix employee, wouldn't they have been caught? I understand that many people want to focus solely on Boeing, but if we are talking about dentist's offices, couldn't the particles have come from somewhere besides Boeing?
Absolutely, IMO Boeing is a poor match..
The tie particles don't really fit a railyard shop and tie wearing,, lack of steel and asbestos and positive for Yttrium for example. Railyards lack the "rare earths" particle environment.
I think the rareness of Yttrium is the key..
Yttrium is about 31 ppm of the Earth's crust, making it the 28th most abundant element, 400 times more common than silver. By that standard it is not exactly 'rare'. So rarity needs to be defined in the Cooper context.
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LoginThe most important uses of yttrium are LEDs and phosphors, particularly the red phosphors in television set cathode ray tube (CRT) displays.[7] Yttrium is also used in the production of electrodes, electrolytes, electronic filters, lasers, superconductors, various medical applications, and tracing various materials to enhance their properties.
Yttrium has no known biological role. Exposure to yttrium compounds can cause lung disease in humans . . .
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