1 00:00:01,560 --> 00:00:04,760 Speaker 1: Welcome to stuff from the science Lab from how stuff 2 00:00:04,760 --> 00:00:15,920 Speaker 1: works dot com. Hey, Alison, did you hear about the 3 00:00:15,920 --> 00:00:18,400 Speaker 1: statistician who's stuck his head in a stove and his 4 00:00:18,480 --> 00:00:21,680 Speaker 1: feet in a bucket of ice? Oh? What happened? On average? 5 00:00:21,720 --> 00:00:26,360 Speaker 1: He felt just fine? Oh, so, welcome to this stuff 6 00:00:26,400 --> 00:00:28,160 Speaker 1: in the science lad This is Alice Madam like the 7 00:00:28,200 --> 00:00:30,200 Speaker 1: science that at how staff works dot com. And this 8 00:00:30,280 --> 00:00:33,199 Speaker 1: is Robert Lamb, science writer at how stuff works dot com. 9 00:00:33,240 --> 00:00:36,000 Speaker 1: And we bring to you that joke compliments of Terry 10 00:00:36,080 --> 00:00:41,360 Speaker 1: in Grass Valley, California. That's my wife's aunt. Actually he's 11 00:00:41,440 --> 00:00:44,760 Speaker 1: listening jokes from your wife's sam. What I solicited everybody, 12 00:00:44,800 --> 00:00:47,760 Speaker 1: and she's a listener to the podcast. Thanks and Terry. 13 00:00:48,440 --> 00:00:50,800 Speaker 1: Let's let's let's get right to the topic here. We're 14 00:00:50,800 --> 00:00:55,600 Speaker 1: talking about diamond and whether they're a scientist's best friend, right, 15 00:00:55,680 --> 00:00:58,080 Speaker 1: and now you already have a diamond, right because of 16 00:00:58,160 --> 00:01:01,520 Speaker 1: course married, and I well, let's let's just stop that 17 00:01:01,560 --> 00:01:03,640 Speaker 1: assumption right there. You know, of course you know that 18 00:01:03,680 --> 00:01:05,399 Speaker 1: you don't have to get a diamond on you're married, 19 00:01:05,440 --> 00:01:07,679 Speaker 1: And yes, I am in fact married, but I mean, 20 00:01:07,840 --> 00:01:10,480 Speaker 1: you know there are other ways. But I do see 21 00:01:10,480 --> 00:01:12,440 Speaker 1: a diamond on your hand right now, so I know 22 00:01:12,600 --> 00:01:14,680 Speaker 1: you have a diamond. Yeah, well it could be a 23 00:01:14,680 --> 00:01:16,840 Speaker 1: it could be really good fake, right, it could be 24 00:01:16,920 --> 00:01:19,800 Speaker 1: that's yes, yes, certainly. Uh. And we're about to get 25 00:01:19,920 --> 00:01:21,399 Speaker 1: and get into that like basic let's let's go and 26 00:01:21,480 --> 00:01:23,760 Speaker 1: hit exactly what. We're gonna hit some really cool diamonds 27 00:01:23,760 --> 00:01:27,680 Speaker 1: in this particular podcast. We're not going to just dimond. Yeah, 28 00:01:27,800 --> 00:01:31,679 Speaker 1: some real spacey diamonds and diamonds that like live in 29 00:01:31,680 --> 00:01:34,360 Speaker 1: the jungle. It's gonna be great. But to really understand 30 00:01:34,360 --> 00:01:35,800 Speaker 1: why these are awesome, we do have to hit the 31 00:01:35,800 --> 00:01:40,600 Speaker 1: basics dimond formation. So a diamond, as awesome as it 32 00:01:40,640 --> 00:01:43,480 Speaker 1: may look in the store or on a finger or whatever, 33 00:01:44,040 --> 00:01:47,920 Speaker 1: is just carbon in its most concentrated form. All Right. 34 00:01:48,040 --> 00:01:51,840 Speaker 1: You do remember how Superman could like squeeze like a 35 00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:55,000 Speaker 1: lump of coal and make it into a diamond. That's 36 00:01:55,080 --> 00:01:57,240 Speaker 1: that's that's it, that's basically that's the basics of it, 37 00:01:57,280 --> 00:01:59,480 Speaker 1: all right. Carbon is one of the most common homes 38 00:01:59,520 --> 00:02:01,800 Speaker 1: in the world. You guys know this. Yep. It's in 39 00:02:01,840 --> 00:02:05,200 Speaker 1: the air all around us um, and it's in our bodies, 40 00:02:05,240 --> 00:02:10,040 Speaker 1: like we're eight carbon um, you know, So it's everywhere 41 00:02:11,040 --> 00:02:15,240 Speaker 1: but we just superman, or more more commonly, the Earth 42 00:02:15,280 --> 00:02:19,960 Speaker 1: has not squeezed us into a shiny, beautiful crystal. Diamonds 43 00:02:19,960 --> 00:02:22,840 Speaker 1: form about a hundred miles below the Earth's surface in 44 00:02:22,880 --> 00:02:25,760 Speaker 1: the molten rock of the Earth's mantle. Right, then this 45 00:02:25,800 --> 00:02:27,640 Speaker 1: is where you find the right amounts of pressure and 46 00:02:27,720 --> 00:02:31,120 Speaker 1: heat to transform the carbon. For in order for a 47 00:02:31,160 --> 00:02:33,440 Speaker 1: diamond to be created, carbon has to be placed under 48 00:02:33,480 --> 00:02:36,919 Speaker 1: at least four hundred and thirty five thousand, one d 49 00:02:37,040 --> 00:02:40,160 Speaker 1: thirteen pounds per square inch of pressure at a temperature 50 00:02:40,400 --> 00:02:43,160 Speaker 1: of at least seven hundred and fifty two degrees Fahrenheits. 51 00:02:43,200 --> 00:02:45,440 Speaker 1: So those are that's the recipe if you're planning to 52 00:02:45,480 --> 00:02:47,880 Speaker 1: cook one up at home, right, And so if conditions 53 00:02:47,919 --> 00:02:51,800 Speaker 1: drop below either of these two points, graphite, diamond, graphite, 54 00:02:51,840 --> 00:02:54,760 Speaker 1: nobody wants a graphite ring. Not so much. Thoset diamonds 55 00:02:54,760 --> 00:02:57,440 Speaker 1: always see today were four millions, if not billions of 56 00:02:57,520 --> 00:03:00,639 Speaker 1: years ago. Yeah, they're carried up to this surface through 57 00:03:00,720 --> 00:03:05,239 Speaker 1: powerful magma eruptions. And they can also form when meteorites 58 00:03:05,480 --> 00:03:08,440 Speaker 1: crash into things. Because it's interesting. Yeah, and you have 59 00:03:08,480 --> 00:03:12,120 Speaker 1: all that metal and heat and it's like metal heat, 60 00:03:12,280 --> 00:03:14,360 Speaker 1: you know, pressure, and you get that. You can also 61 00:03:14,440 --> 00:03:16,760 Speaker 1: get to get this in a laboratory, and that's because 62 00:03:16,880 --> 00:03:20,160 Speaker 1: everybody's heard of cubics orconium and this is just a 63 00:03:20,240 --> 00:03:22,160 Speaker 1: laboratory gym and these have been in the markets it's 64 00:03:22,200 --> 00:03:26,880 Speaker 1: like ninety six and laboratories just basically simulate the heat 65 00:03:26,919 --> 00:03:30,000 Speaker 1: and pressure from the Earth's mantle to create natural diamonds. So, 66 00:03:30,040 --> 00:03:33,320 Speaker 1: you know what, I heard that there's a trend in weddings, 67 00:03:33,400 --> 00:03:36,240 Speaker 1: you know, because we do the TLC weddings a lot 68 00:03:36,280 --> 00:03:39,320 Speaker 1: of articles for that, and um, I was I heard 69 00:03:39,320 --> 00:03:42,200 Speaker 1: that there is if you can't afford a ring, then 70 00:03:42,280 --> 00:03:45,560 Speaker 1: maybe you get a cubics orconium like placeholder kind of 71 00:03:45,560 --> 00:03:47,480 Speaker 1: thing when you propose, and then when you can afford it, 72 00:03:47,480 --> 00:03:50,080 Speaker 1: you work up to the diamond. Well that's a very 73 00:03:50,080 --> 00:03:52,760 Speaker 1: honest way of doing it. So I mean, I'm of 74 00:03:52,800 --> 00:03:56,000 Speaker 1: the mind that I think, you know, cubics looks pretty good. Now, 75 00:03:56,200 --> 00:03:59,320 Speaker 1: did you get your wife a diamond ring? They were 76 00:03:59,360 --> 00:04:02,800 Speaker 1: they were diamond are already in the family. Okay, an 77 00:04:02,800 --> 00:04:07,040 Speaker 1: air loom. Yeah, that's cool. I just wondered. So, yeah, 78 00:04:07,080 --> 00:04:09,800 Speaker 1: that's how we did it. And now this is pretty interesting. 79 00:04:09,920 --> 00:04:14,960 Speaker 1: Um over at the Ignoble Prizes, they in the past 80 00:04:15,000 --> 00:04:19,440 Speaker 1: few years, they've they've given honors to scientists from the 81 00:04:19,520 --> 00:04:24,040 Speaker 1: University of Mexico, the National Autonomous University of Mexico interesting 82 00:04:24,480 --> 00:04:28,560 Speaker 1: for creating diamonds out of eight proof tequila. Well it's 83 00:04:28,600 --> 00:04:32,160 Speaker 1: not really diamonds with diamond films, right right, Yeah, But 84 00:04:32,600 --> 00:04:35,800 Speaker 1: so what they did here was there they're evaporating the 85 00:04:35,839 --> 00:04:38,919 Speaker 1: tequila and they're heating the vapor above fourtune hundred degrees 86 00:04:38,920 --> 00:04:42,359 Speaker 1: fair kneight before to positive it on silicon or steinless 87 00:04:42,360 --> 00:04:45,560 Speaker 1: steel trays. And so the films that they wind up 88 00:04:45,600 --> 00:04:48,120 Speaker 1: with were between a hundred to four hundred nanometers in 89 00:04:48,160 --> 00:04:51,599 Speaker 1: diameter and free of impurities. They're hard, they're heat resistant, 90 00:04:51,680 --> 00:04:54,159 Speaker 1: and this is the key thing. They have a number 91 00:04:54,160 --> 00:05:00,520 Speaker 1: of commercial applications UM such as cutting tools, optical electronic devices. UM. 92 00:05:00,920 --> 00:05:03,280 Speaker 1: I got in researching this that ran across like some 93 00:05:03,320 --> 00:05:05,320 Speaker 1: sort of weird experiment where like cut cutting into a 94 00:05:05,360 --> 00:05:08,839 Speaker 1: mouse now's brain with a like a special like surgical 95 00:05:08,920 --> 00:05:11,159 Speaker 1: kind of tool that's made from diamond. You can't see me, 96 00:05:11,200 --> 00:05:13,640 Speaker 1: but I'm cocking my head look proberly like what it 97 00:05:13,720 --> 00:05:15,720 Speaker 1: was really weird. I was like, I ended up not 98 00:05:16,080 --> 00:05:18,159 Speaker 1: using it, but yeah, I'm bringing it up. But but 99 00:05:18,279 --> 00:05:21,920 Speaker 1: still another big thing. Oil rigs used diamonds in the 100 00:05:22,160 --> 00:05:25,640 Speaker 1: in the drill bits as well. So uh and and 101 00:05:25,720 --> 00:05:27,719 Speaker 1: also it has all since it is a real good 102 00:05:27,720 --> 00:05:31,719 Speaker 1: thermal conductor, it's going to be really useful in semiconductors 103 00:05:31,720 --> 00:05:34,240 Speaker 1: and computers of the future and all. So the interesting 104 00:05:34,240 --> 00:05:38,320 Speaker 1: thing about this University of Mexico research that I thought was, well, 105 00:05:38,320 --> 00:05:39,680 Speaker 1: how would they come up with the idea of using 106 00:05:39,680 --> 00:05:42,760 Speaker 1: tequila and diamonds. How do those two things really good together? 107 00:05:43,279 --> 00:05:47,480 Speaker 1: And so they noticed that tequila eighty proof tequila had 108 00:05:47,480 --> 00:05:49,960 Speaker 1: the ideal proportion of ethanol to water to create these 109 00:05:50,000 --> 00:05:52,520 Speaker 1: diamond films. Or they were drinking a little tequila and 110 00:05:52,520 --> 00:05:54,120 Speaker 1: they're like, I, pat, you can make a diamond out. 111 00:05:56,680 --> 00:05:58,480 Speaker 1: Is that what you guys doing the lab? Drink tequila 112 00:05:58,560 --> 00:06:00,680 Speaker 1: after your work is done? Tell us we want to know. 113 00:06:02,040 --> 00:06:04,800 Speaker 1: So those are the basics of how diamonds are made. 114 00:06:04,839 --> 00:06:07,320 Speaker 1: How they can be made here on Earth, but they 115 00:06:07,320 --> 00:06:10,159 Speaker 1: can also be made elsewhere, um in the in the 116 00:06:10,200 --> 00:06:14,240 Speaker 1: galaxy with the giant cosmic diamonds. Yeah, now here on Earth. 117 00:06:14,279 --> 00:06:16,760 Speaker 1: Do you know what the largest diamond is, like the 118 00:06:16,800 --> 00:06:18,680 Speaker 1: largest like cut kind of diamond that has like a 119 00:06:18,800 --> 00:06:22,120 Speaker 1: name and is said the Hope Diamond. No, apparently it 120 00:06:22,240 --> 00:06:25,440 Speaker 1: is the Golden Jubilee and that is a five forty 121 00:06:25,440 --> 00:06:27,680 Speaker 1: six carrot deal. It looks kind of like kind of 122 00:06:27,680 --> 00:06:29,720 Speaker 1: fits in the palm of your hand and it is 123 00:06:29,760 --> 00:06:32,280 Speaker 1: currently owned by the King of Thailand and it was 124 00:06:32,320 --> 00:06:35,040 Speaker 1: presented him for his fiftieth anniversary of his coronation in 125 00:06:36,920 --> 00:06:39,720 Speaker 1: But that's nothing, I mean, that's I mean, it's it's great. 126 00:06:39,720 --> 00:06:42,920 Speaker 1: If you do you have to rival Golden Bee. Oh, 127 00:06:43,000 --> 00:06:46,600 Speaker 1: not rival, but surpass and ways the camera measured, yes, 128 00:06:46,680 --> 00:06:48,920 Speaker 1: to completely trample. It's like, that's just a trinket compared 129 00:06:48,960 --> 00:06:56,000 Speaker 1: to this um and this is BPM. So that's a 130 00:06:56,000 --> 00:06:58,320 Speaker 1: really great name for a diamond. Well, it's a super 131 00:06:58,680 --> 00:07:01,320 Speaker 1: I mean, it's a white dwarf, is what it is. 132 00:07:01,640 --> 00:07:04,040 Speaker 1: And it's also known as Lucy as in Lucy and 133 00:07:04,080 --> 00:07:06,839 Speaker 1: the Sky with diamonds. That's nice. Yeah, And it's a 134 00:07:07,000 --> 00:07:10,080 Speaker 1: fifty lot years away and about four thousand kilometers across. 135 00:07:10,960 --> 00:07:14,480 Speaker 1: And here's here's how much it weighs. It weighs five million, 136 00:07:14,560 --> 00:07:17,200 Speaker 1: trillion trillion pounds. And those both of those trillions were 137 00:07:17,200 --> 00:07:20,760 Speaker 1: supposed to be there. That was not a flub I 138 00:07:20,760 --> 00:07:23,040 Speaker 1: did wonder if you made an era, and it would 139 00:07:23,120 --> 00:07:26,080 Speaker 1: if it were measured in carrots. Well, well, real quick, 140 00:07:26,200 --> 00:07:28,320 Speaker 1: the whole white thing is because it's like super dense. 141 00:07:28,560 --> 00:07:30,880 Speaker 1: So that's why that's point weigh so much, even though 142 00:07:30,880 --> 00:07:33,000 Speaker 1: it's relatively small for that way. But then if you 143 00:07:33,040 --> 00:07:35,400 Speaker 1: were to put that in in carrots, this would be 144 00:07:35,480 --> 00:07:38,640 Speaker 1: a ten billion, trillion trillion carrot diamonds. Again with a 145 00:07:38,640 --> 00:07:41,880 Speaker 1: trillion trillions talking some mad carrots. I love I love 146 00:07:41,880 --> 00:07:44,400 Speaker 1: it when people throw in the extra like I think 147 00:07:44,440 --> 00:07:46,920 Speaker 1: Corny McCarthy's always talking like like looking up in like 148 00:07:46,960 --> 00:07:49,280 Speaker 1: a million million stars, or like anytime you can throw 149 00:07:49,600 --> 00:07:52,560 Speaker 1: like an extra million in there, it sounds awesome. Yeah, 150 00:07:52,640 --> 00:07:56,240 Speaker 1: and it's actually it's actually a number. So this is 151 00:07:56,280 --> 00:08:00,200 Speaker 1: a pull sighting, pulsating white dwarf. It's a burnout are 152 00:08:00,360 --> 00:08:04,120 Speaker 1: of the c c Z variety if that means anything 153 00:08:04,120 --> 00:08:08,160 Speaker 1: to you, and most people won't, but that's its technical classification. 154 00:08:08,600 --> 00:08:11,480 Speaker 1: And it's primarily carbon and oxygen with a thin layer 155 00:08:11,480 --> 00:08:14,680 Speaker 1: of hydrogen and helium. And it's massive enough to have 156 00:08:14,760 --> 00:08:18,720 Speaker 1: undergone partial crystallization. In fact, we're talking upwards of nine 157 00:08:19,680 --> 00:08:23,240 Speaker 1: of it has crystallized. According to some astronomical studies. So 158 00:08:23,280 --> 00:08:25,239 Speaker 1: the questionnaires, how can we tell that it's a diamond? 159 00:08:25,680 --> 00:08:27,400 Speaker 1: You know? How did how how did they know? Well, yeah, 160 00:08:27,400 --> 00:08:29,480 Speaker 1: they didn't, like just look in the catalog or see 161 00:08:29,480 --> 00:08:33,679 Speaker 1: it on somebody's finger. It's the white dwarf undergoes pulsations, 162 00:08:33,760 --> 00:08:37,439 Speaker 1: all right, and scientists are able to study these pulse 163 00:08:37,600 --> 00:08:41,199 Speaker 1: pulsations in a similar way that we study size seismographic 164 00:08:41,320 --> 00:08:45,320 Speaker 1: measurements of terrestrial earthquakes, and that gives us an idea 165 00:08:45,320 --> 00:08:49,319 Speaker 1: of what's happening in the interior. Right, So they think 166 00:08:49,320 --> 00:08:52,000 Speaker 1: the carbon interior of this particular white dwarf has solidified 167 00:08:52,040 --> 00:08:55,040 Speaker 1: to form the galaxy's largest diamond. Right, that's what That's 168 00:08:55,040 --> 00:08:57,680 Speaker 1: what the theories are saying. Nobody's certainly nobody's traveled there, 169 00:08:57,679 --> 00:09:00,000 Speaker 1: and we don't you know, we don't know for sure. 170 00:09:00,120 --> 00:09:02,120 Speaker 1: But well wait until after they hear this podcast. We 171 00:09:02,240 --> 00:09:04,800 Speaker 1: might have some jewel thieves like high talent it. Yeah, 172 00:09:04,920 --> 00:09:07,120 Speaker 1: they're there, They've got a ways to go and have 173 00:09:07,200 --> 00:09:11,120 Speaker 1: to really hot rod something. But um, but yeah, this 174 00:09:11,240 --> 00:09:13,520 Speaker 1: is like it's just kind of staggers that you can't 175 00:09:13,520 --> 00:09:15,360 Speaker 1: help but think of like a little person like riding 176 00:09:15,360 --> 00:09:19,360 Speaker 1: it through the cosmos. You know, I mean, that's enormous, 177 00:09:19,920 --> 00:09:23,440 Speaker 1: five million, trillion trillion pounds of diamond um. You know, 178 00:09:23,480 --> 00:09:25,439 Speaker 1: it hasn't been cut yet or you know, it certainly 179 00:09:25,480 --> 00:09:29,559 Speaker 1: hasn't been been set in anything, but that's enormous and 180 00:09:29,559 --> 00:09:31,800 Speaker 1: and they're saying it's probably like one of the biggest 181 00:09:31,800 --> 00:09:34,400 Speaker 1: in the at least the observable universe. Then there have 182 00:09:34,400 --> 00:09:37,200 Speaker 1: been other ideas that like Jupiter might have like a 183 00:09:37,240 --> 00:09:40,360 Speaker 1: giant diamond in its core um, and that's kind of 184 00:09:40,400 --> 00:09:42,520 Speaker 1: you know, some of the gas giants in our solar system, 185 00:09:42,640 --> 00:09:44,840 Speaker 1: and that's kind of up in the air um um. 186 00:09:45,080 --> 00:09:46,960 Speaker 1: It's not as exciting as that other diamonds. It's not 187 00:09:47,000 --> 00:09:50,160 Speaker 1: as exciting, and nobody, nobody really knows for certain about 188 00:09:50,200 --> 00:09:53,000 Speaker 1: it yet. Well, that's because most of the chemical research 189 00:09:53,040 --> 00:09:55,680 Speaker 1: involving diamonds in our solar system so far has really 190 00:09:55,720 --> 00:09:58,680 Speaker 1: dealt with micro diamonds, right. Um, the micro diamonds found 191 00:09:58,679 --> 00:10:02,120 Speaker 1: in asteroids and you know them meteors and meteorites so 192 00:10:02,280 --> 00:10:04,680 Speaker 1: vs are created in the high heat and pressure of 193 00:10:04,679 --> 00:10:08,000 Speaker 1: the collisions which create these little tiny micro diamonds or 194 00:10:08,080 --> 00:10:13,360 Speaker 1: rocky fragments. Yeah, but luckily there are there is something 195 00:10:13,400 --> 00:10:15,880 Speaker 1: within her there might be something within our solar system 196 00:10:16,080 --> 00:10:20,280 Speaker 1: that is just as fantastic as a enormous um you know, 197 00:10:20,400 --> 00:10:25,000 Speaker 1: star diamond. And that is the idea of get this right. 198 00:10:25,000 --> 00:10:26,920 Speaker 1: I imagine this in your head if you can. It 199 00:10:26,960 --> 00:10:30,480 Speaker 1: sounds like like an Asia album cover or something. An 200 00:10:30,520 --> 00:10:35,760 Speaker 1: ocean of liquid diamond filled with with solid diamond icebergs alright, 201 00:10:35,800 --> 00:10:40,800 Speaker 1: floating under like the Neptone Neptonian sky. Yeah, looking that crazy, 202 00:10:40,840 --> 00:10:43,400 Speaker 1: And yet there's a there's some interesting studies that say 203 00:10:43,440 --> 00:10:46,200 Speaker 1: this might actually be what the case is, right, and 204 00:10:46,240 --> 00:10:48,440 Speaker 1: it's not just so Neptune too, it's don't They also 205 00:10:48,480 --> 00:10:51,360 Speaker 1: postulate that it might be on r innust Yes, possibly 206 00:10:51,360 --> 00:10:53,959 Speaker 1: on ur inas as well. Uh. Two thousand ten study 207 00:10:54,000 --> 00:10:57,840 Speaker 1: out of Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, California, published in 208 00:10:57,920 --> 00:11:01,880 Speaker 1: Nature Physics, and basically it comes to into this, um, 209 00:11:01,920 --> 00:11:04,840 Speaker 1: we've melted diamonds in the lab. It sounds kind of crazy, 210 00:11:05,280 --> 00:11:08,440 Speaker 1: But why would you melt a diamond? Well, it's science 211 00:11:08,440 --> 00:11:11,240 Speaker 1: for proof you can do it. But buts and brides 212 00:11:11,240 --> 00:11:13,840 Speaker 1: who would be highly upset at that prospect. Yeah, if 213 00:11:13,840 --> 00:11:15,800 Speaker 1: you bring a diamond melter to a wedding, that's just 214 00:11:15,880 --> 00:11:19,600 Speaker 1: so poor taste. But all right. So, but a diamond 215 00:11:19,720 --> 00:11:22,319 Speaker 1: is it is incredibly hard material and it's very difficult 216 00:11:22,320 --> 00:11:26,320 Speaker 1: to melt. And but it's also difficult to melt in 217 00:11:26,360 --> 00:11:28,800 Speaker 1: that if you melt a diamond, it's hard to keep 218 00:11:28,800 --> 00:11:31,280 Speaker 1: it a diamond, you know, like you'll end up with 219 00:11:31,360 --> 00:11:34,280 Speaker 1: just with graphite or something, you know, So they have 220 00:11:34,360 --> 00:11:36,679 Speaker 1: to go through a certain rigmarole just to just to 221 00:11:36,760 --> 00:11:40,200 Speaker 1: make sure that it melts in the right way. Right, 222 00:11:40,280 --> 00:11:44,560 Speaker 1: So what happens is researchers blasted um a diamonds like 223 00:11:44,559 --> 00:11:47,480 Speaker 1: a small diamond, you know, nothing, nothing with the name 224 00:11:48,120 --> 00:11:51,320 Speaker 1: for a curse. So researchers blasted the small diamond lasers 225 00:11:51,400 --> 00:11:54,280 Speaker 1: at ultra high pressures like those found on gas giants, 226 00:11:54,320 --> 00:11:59,040 Speaker 1: like like Neptune in Eurus right right, and yeah, this 227 00:11:59,160 --> 00:12:01,520 Speaker 1: the signist lukeuid fight at the Dinet liquified the diamond 228 00:12:01,559 --> 00:12:05,839 Speaker 1: at pressures forty million times greater than what you'd find 229 00:12:05,920 --> 00:12:08,800 Speaker 1: standing sea level on Earth. Woll, that's some serious pressure. 230 00:12:09,760 --> 00:12:12,319 Speaker 1: And they were slowly reduced. Then they slowly reduced the 231 00:12:12,320 --> 00:12:14,839 Speaker 1: temperature and pressure. And when the pressure dropped to about 232 00:12:14,840 --> 00:12:18,439 Speaker 1: eleven million times the atmospheric pressure at sea level here 233 00:12:18,480 --> 00:12:22,079 Speaker 1: on Earth, and the temperature dropped to about fifty degrees. 234 00:12:22,720 --> 00:12:26,520 Speaker 1: Guess what happened. Chunks of diamond yea began to appear 235 00:12:26,520 --> 00:12:29,600 Speaker 1: in a little islands of diamond liquid diamond. I mean, 236 00:12:29,640 --> 00:12:31,360 Speaker 1: it's just really hard for me to even imagine like 237 00:12:31,440 --> 00:12:33,600 Speaker 1: this in my head. You know. The best image I 238 00:12:33,640 --> 00:12:36,240 Speaker 1: have right now, I'm trying to sum it up some fabulous, 239 00:12:36,320 --> 00:12:40,239 Speaker 1: you know, kind of pirate treasure, you know, gold medallion's, 240 00:12:40,600 --> 00:12:43,880 Speaker 1: you know, treasure chests open. But I keep on thinking 241 00:12:43,920 --> 00:12:46,800 Speaker 1: of the goonies. Did you ever see that when they 242 00:12:46,800 --> 00:12:49,400 Speaker 1: get to the end, you know, and there's like the 243 00:12:50,360 --> 00:12:52,960 Speaker 1: chips with all like the treasure all around and all 244 00:12:53,120 --> 00:12:55,719 Speaker 1: the fabulous jewels and stuff. That's the best I can 245 00:12:55,800 --> 00:12:58,040 Speaker 1: come up with here As far as the visual of 246 00:12:58,080 --> 00:13:01,800 Speaker 1: a diamond ocean, Yeah, it's just completely I mean other worldly, 247 00:13:02,080 --> 00:13:06,480 Speaker 1: you know. Um So now I've talked about the goodies, 248 00:13:06,559 --> 00:13:08,600 Speaker 1: let's get back to diamond. But the other thing is 249 00:13:08,600 --> 00:13:11,079 Speaker 1: that the chunks of diamondn't sink. They floated in this 250 00:13:11,160 --> 00:13:15,120 Speaker 1: diamond ocean. Uh and uh. And they think that this 251 00:13:15,160 --> 00:13:17,920 Speaker 1: could actually help explain someone like the cool the weird 252 00:13:17,920 --> 00:13:22,120 Speaker 1: stuff going on with the magnetic field there. Um, the 253 00:13:22,160 --> 00:13:25,440 Speaker 1: magnetic and geographic polls on Uranus and Neptune don't really 254 00:13:25,440 --> 00:13:29,320 Speaker 1: match up um. In fact, they can be up to 255 00:13:29,360 --> 00:13:33,000 Speaker 1: like sixty degrees off um off the of the north 256 00:13:33,040 --> 00:13:35,640 Speaker 1: south axis. So to put that in perspective, um, if 257 00:13:35,679 --> 00:13:37,800 Speaker 1: Earth's magnetic field with that far off, it would place 258 00:13:37,840 --> 00:13:40,839 Speaker 1: the magnetic north pole in Texas instead of off a 259 00:13:40,880 --> 00:13:44,520 Speaker 1: Canadian island. And what would researchers think might be possible 260 00:13:44,600 --> 00:13:47,000 Speaker 1: is that a swirling ocean of liquid diamond could be 261 00:13:47,040 --> 00:13:50,560 Speaker 1: responsible for the discrepancy. Yeah. Well see if you think 262 00:13:50,559 --> 00:13:52,680 Speaker 1: about it, up to ten percent of Uranus and Neptune 263 00:13:52,760 --> 00:13:55,720 Speaker 1: is estimated to be made from carbon, So a huge 264 00:13:55,760 --> 00:13:58,520 Speaker 1: ocean of liquid diamond in the right place could deflect 265 00:13:58,800 --> 00:14:02,040 Speaker 1: or um or askew the magnetic field out of alignment 266 00:14:02,080 --> 00:14:05,079 Speaker 1: with the rotation on the planet. Discovering News have a 267 00:14:05,080 --> 00:14:07,079 Speaker 1: story about that, Yeah they did. And it's also important 268 00:14:07,080 --> 00:14:09,280 Speaker 1: to keep in mind we're talking about gas planets here 269 00:14:09,400 --> 00:14:12,520 Speaker 1: and and but there is a lot of liquid in 270 00:14:12,559 --> 00:14:15,679 Speaker 1: them as well. It's not like just gas. And and 271 00:14:15,720 --> 00:14:17,840 Speaker 1: then there's you know, the possibility of like something solid 272 00:14:17,840 --> 00:14:21,400 Speaker 1: at the center, not a diamond necessarily, but you know something, 273 00:14:21,760 --> 00:14:24,960 Speaker 1: you know, something solid. So yeah, I was just really 274 00:14:24,960 --> 00:14:28,600 Speaker 1: blown away by that. Finding about that it's pretty cool. Yeah, 275 00:14:28,960 --> 00:14:30,240 Speaker 1: but now it's time to bring it back down to 276 00:14:30,280 --> 00:14:33,920 Speaker 1: earth for our last little diamond story in this diamonds 277 00:14:33,960 --> 00:14:36,760 Speaker 1: morgue board we're going through here, and uh, and this 278 00:14:36,880 --> 00:14:40,880 Speaker 1: creature is pretty amazing. It's an inch long iridescent we evil, 279 00:14:41,160 --> 00:14:42,920 Speaker 1: a little not not a weasel, but a weavil, like 280 00:14:42,960 --> 00:14:45,200 Speaker 1: an insect named if you want to take a shot 281 00:14:45,280 --> 00:14:49,440 Speaker 1: at this one, sure well, lamp or Siphus augustus. Yeah, 282 00:14:49,640 --> 00:14:51,960 Speaker 1: and it's native to Brazil and you can you can, 283 00:14:52,240 --> 00:14:54,000 Speaker 1: you can look at pictures of it online and it 284 00:14:54,040 --> 00:14:56,880 Speaker 1: does look amazing. It's like sparkly and green, like it's 285 00:14:56,960 --> 00:15:01,280 Speaker 1: just it seems to sort of shine with its own energy. Um. 286 00:15:01,320 --> 00:15:04,800 Speaker 1: But otherwise it's kind of like yeah, it's like yeah, 287 00:15:05,000 --> 00:15:09,840 Speaker 1: like wevill bling going on in the Amazon rainforest. So 288 00:15:09,880 --> 00:15:12,680 Speaker 1: a bunch of University of Utah chemists were pretty fascinated 289 00:15:12,720 --> 00:15:15,160 Speaker 1: with this particular beetle and they found out that the 290 00:15:15,200 --> 00:15:18,120 Speaker 1: beetle glows ere it doesn't green because it has a 291 00:15:18,160 --> 00:15:20,760 Speaker 1: crystal structure and its scales that's like the crystal structure 292 00:15:20,760 --> 00:15:24,640 Speaker 1: of diamonds, right. Um. And the cool thing is they 293 00:15:24,640 --> 00:15:27,800 Speaker 1: think that this is an ideal structure, like an ideal 294 00:15:27,880 --> 00:15:32,040 Speaker 1: architecture for what's called phoconic crystals. They used to manipulate 295 00:15:32,160 --> 00:15:35,800 Speaker 1: visual light in ultra fast optical computers in the future. 296 00:15:36,320 --> 00:15:38,360 Speaker 1: So you know what we're talking about with the tequila diavonds, 297 00:15:38,400 --> 00:15:41,280 Speaker 1: like being able to use those little little like the 298 00:15:41,320 --> 00:15:44,360 Speaker 1: diamond films, the diamond films and computing like they're talking about. 299 00:15:44,400 --> 00:15:46,200 Speaker 1: Like basically they went out into the jungles and they 300 00:15:46,200 --> 00:15:49,080 Speaker 1: were like, whoa nature as always is you know, a 301 00:15:49,080 --> 00:15:50,520 Speaker 1: lot of years ahead of this on this one, and 302 00:15:50,560 --> 00:15:53,200 Speaker 1: they already have like some really cool stuff that we 303 00:15:53,200 --> 00:15:55,960 Speaker 1: could use and now really cool stuff we could utilize 304 00:15:55,960 --> 00:16:00,120 Speaker 1: in design. We couldn't actually harvest um you know or 305 00:16:00,120 --> 00:16:03,520 Speaker 1: descent weevils and you know, and and use their scales 306 00:16:04,040 --> 00:16:07,000 Speaker 1: because these are made out of kaitan like your fingernail, 307 00:16:07,040 --> 00:16:09,960 Speaker 1: all right, so they wouldn't hold up enough for long 308 00:16:10,040 --> 00:16:12,360 Speaker 1: term use. You'd have to just you go through weavil 309 00:16:12,400 --> 00:16:14,960 Speaker 1: after we evil just checking your email, I guess in 310 00:16:15,000 --> 00:16:18,120 Speaker 1: the future, right, that's the But the idea is to 311 00:16:18,320 --> 00:16:20,960 Speaker 1: is to is to copy it, you know, bio mimicry, 312 00:16:21,120 --> 00:16:25,520 Speaker 1: yeah and all together now yeah, yeah, and it's It's 313 00:16:25,520 --> 00:16:27,080 Speaker 1: an interesting when you look at these pictures, the the 314 00:16:27,160 --> 00:16:29,680 Speaker 1: weevil looks green, but it's sparkling green color is actually 315 00:16:29,680 --> 00:16:32,200 Speaker 1: produced by the crystal structures of its scales, not not 316 00:16:32,240 --> 00:16:35,240 Speaker 1: any kind of pigment or anything. Each Each scale measures 317 00:16:35,320 --> 00:16:38,960 Speaker 1: like two hundred microns and uh long and about a 318 00:16:39,080 --> 00:16:42,280 Speaker 1: hundred microns wide end up. Put that in a little perspective, 319 00:16:42,360 --> 00:16:44,240 Speaker 1: like a human here is about a hundred microns thick. 320 00:16:44,280 --> 00:16:47,160 Speaker 1: So these are these are tiny little things. It's not 321 00:16:47,200 --> 00:16:49,200 Speaker 1: like the thing. It doesn't look like it's studded with 322 00:16:49,440 --> 00:16:52,800 Speaker 1: green diamonds and green light, which has a wavelength of 323 00:16:52,840 --> 00:16:56,520 Speaker 1: about five hundred to five fifty nanometers. It can't penetrate 324 00:16:56,560 --> 00:16:59,000 Speaker 1: the scales crystal structure, so it acts like a mirror 325 00:16:59,000 --> 00:17:00,960 Speaker 1: and reflects the green lie it didn't makes it appear 326 00:17:01,000 --> 00:17:04,000 Speaker 1: to you know, anybody looking at it uh to be 327 00:17:04,119 --> 00:17:06,879 Speaker 1: just iridescently green. I would like to see one of these. 328 00:17:06,920 --> 00:17:08,159 Speaker 1: I think I might have to go and look it 329 00:17:08,240 --> 00:17:10,439 Speaker 1: up for me. Are finished with podcasts? Yeah, the photos 330 00:17:10,440 --> 00:17:12,240 Speaker 1: are amazing, but I mean it's one of those things 331 00:17:12,240 --> 00:17:14,080 Speaker 1: i'd like to see. Yeah, physically and like so you 332 00:17:14,080 --> 00:17:15,679 Speaker 1: can sort of like move your head around it and 333 00:17:15,680 --> 00:17:17,399 Speaker 1: sort of get a you know, three sixty on it 334 00:17:17,400 --> 00:17:19,240 Speaker 1: and watch the light moving, because it just sounds like 335 00:17:19,280 --> 00:17:22,760 Speaker 1: it would look magical. We should get one for the office. Yeah, yeah, 336 00:17:22,800 --> 00:17:27,360 Speaker 1: they probably spring for that infestation of them. Um, throw 337 00:17:27,400 --> 00:17:30,320 Speaker 1: one in the laptops. Maybe they'd run faster. So so 338 00:17:30,359 --> 00:17:34,199 Speaker 1: that's just another that's another example of diamonds in the 339 00:17:34,320 --> 00:17:37,919 Speaker 1: universe or diamond like structures in the universe, and and 340 00:17:38,000 --> 00:17:39,960 Speaker 1: one that you're probably not going to pay you know, 341 00:17:40,000 --> 00:17:41,720 Speaker 1: out the nose for if you were, you know, if 342 00:17:41,720 --> 00:17:43,720 Speaker 1: you were to try with the Amazon jungle, I'm betting 343 00:17:43,720 --> 00:17:46,000 Speaker 1: one of these bugs would be would be cheaper than 344 00:17:46,080 --> 00:17:50,119 Speaker 1: you're more you know, high market diamonds. Yeah, so it 345 00:17:50,160 --> 00:17:52,399 Speaker 1: seems like diamonds aren't only a girl's best friend. They 346 00:17:52,400 --> 00:17:54,320 Speaker 1: may be assignedist best friend, or at least they may 347 00:17:54,359 --> 00:17:57,920 Speaker 1: provide some impetus for some interesting research. And that's whether 348 00:17:57,960 --> 00:18:00,680 Speaker 1: you're drilling for oil or cutting into a mouse's brain. So, 349 00:18:00,800 --> 00:18:02,920 Speaker 1: if you've thoughts on diamonds and want to share with us, 350 00:18:02,920 --> 00:18:04,800 Speaker 1: we'd love to hear from you. Send us an email 351 00:18:04,920 --> 00:18:07,320 Speaker 1: Science Stuff at how stuff first dot com or check 352 00:18:07,359 --> 00:18:09,720 Speaker 1: out the homepage. We have articles on diamonds. In fact, 353 00:18:09,720 --> 00:18:13,480 Speaker 1: there's a good one about diamonds. Yeah. And we also 354 00:18:13,520 --> 00:18:15,879 Speaker 1: have when I think our diamond article solos in a 355 00:18:15,880 --> 00:18:19,720 Speaker 1: blood diamonds quote a bit and conflict diamonds and and 356 00:18:19,920 --> 00:18:21,560 Speaker 1: I don't even I can't even begin to tell you 357 00:18:21,600 --> 00:18:25,120 Speaker 1: what all they have on that TLC SEC Check out 358 00:18:25,160 --> 00:18:28,679 Speaker 1: TLC Weddings if you're interested in a different perspective like 359 00:18:28,760 --> 00:18:30,800 Speaker 1: wedding you know angle. But we also have lots of 360 00:18:31,040 --> 00:18:33,280 Speaker 1: science e stuff and and a lot of stuff on 361 00:18:33,800 --> 00:18:36,359 Speaker 1: I've mentioned you've mentioned in passing about it that diamonds 362 00:18:36,440 --> 00:18:39,439 Speaker 1: us in in drilling for oil, but we have a 363 00:18:39,720 --> 00:18:42,919 Speaker 1: several really good articles dealing with that. Yes, you can 364 00:18:42,960 --> 00:18:45,200 Speaker 1: find us on Facebook too if you want to send 365 00:18:45,240 --> 00:18:48,399 Speaker 1: us crazy pictures of diamonds. The diamonds I don't even know. 366 00:18:48,480 --> 00:18:50,600 Speaker 1: We've gotten some good pictures lately. I want to encourage 367 00:18:50,600 --> 00:18:53,000 Speaker 1: this picture sending. Yes, so you can find us at 368 00:18:53,080 --> 00:18:55,200 Speaker 1: stuff from the Science Lab, or you can always send 369 00:18:55,240 --> 00:18:58,480 Speaker 1: us a tweet. Lab Stuff is our handle on Twitter. 370 00:18:58,600 --> 00:19:00,320 Speaker 1: And have you got a good science joke or a 371 00:19:00,359 --> 00:19:02,760 Speaker 1: really bad science joke? Hit us, hit with us, you 372 00:19:02,800 --> 00:19:05,520 Speaker 1: know in any of those addresses. Uh, let us know 373 00:19:05,560 --> 00:19:08,000 Speaker 1: who you are and where you're from. And we'll try 374 00:19:08,000 --> 00:19:10,520 Speaker 1: and throw it at the stop of the podcast. All right, 375 00:19:10,600 --> 00:19:20,200 Speaker 1: that's all we got. Shine on Crazy Diamond For more 376 00:19:20,240 --> 00:19:22,520 Speaker 1: on this and thousands of other topics. Is that how 377 00:19:22,560 --> 00:19:26,240 Speaker 1: stuff works dot com. Want more how stuff works, check 378 00:19:26,280 --> 00:19:28,440 Speaker 1: out our blogs on the house stuff works dot com 379 00:19:28,480 --> 00:19:35,400 Speaker 1: home page.