Tag: diamond

Strange Hydrogen

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Gas giants, like Jupiter, Saturn, or some of the largest exoplanets, are mostly made of Hydrogen gas.  The simplest and most abundant element in the universe, Hydrogen easily reacts to form compounds, especially at higher temperatures, making it hard to contain and work with.  It’s essential to understand how it behaves across a range of temperatures and pressures so that we can understand the interiors of stars and planets.  But there may also be applications closer to home, like the white whale of materials science, a room temperature superconductor. A team of researchers from Osaka University and Tokyo Institute of...

Meteorites make rare Diamonds!

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When a large meteorite collides with the Earth, it can be travelling upwards of 40 Kilometres per second.  This collision releases a huge amount of energy, which can vaporize rocks and create interesting and unique geological structures. For decades, scientists have been debating the existence of a rare type of crystal called Lonsdaleite, which is associated with impacts.  Strange small crystals were discovered in Arizona in the 1950s around an ancient impact crater called ‘Canyon Diablo.’  It led some scientists to believe that the mineral had mechanical properties similar to diamond, but that it was structurally superior. If it existed in a pure form...