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SLAC Experiment Proves It Rains Diamonds On Uranus and Neptune (cosmosmagazine.com)
The Washington Post reports:
On Uranus and Neptune, scientists forecast rain storms of solid diamonds. The gems form in the hydrocarbon-rich oceans of slush that swath the gas giants' sold cores. Scientists have long speculated that the extreme pressures in this region might split those molecules into atoms of hydrogen and carbon, the latter of which then crystallize to form diamonds. These diamonds were thought to sink like rain through the ocean until they hit the solid core. But no one could prove that this would really work -- until now.
Cosmos reports: The Matter in Extreme Conditions instrument at SLAC gives scientists the tools to investigate the extremely hot, dense matter at the centers of stars and giant planets... A team led by Dominik Kraus from the Helmholtz Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf research centre in Germany subjected plastic to shockwaves by exposing it to the intense energy produced by SLAC's X-ray free-electron laser, known as the Linac Coherent Light Source. The experiment caused almost all the carbon atoms in the plastic to combine into diamond-like structures a few nanometers wide... Astronomers think that the forces at work deep in the frozen mantles of Uranus and Neptune are likely so powerful that each of the diamonds formed could weigh millions of carats. It is also possible that the solid cores of both planets are coated with a thick diamond outer layer.
The experiment also suggests an easier (and cleaner) way to produce diamonds in a lab, which can then be used for semiconductors, drill bits and solar panels.
Cosmos reports: The Matter in Extreme Conditions instrument at SLAC gives scientists the tools to investigate the extremely hot, dense matter at the centers of stars and giant planets... A team led by Dominik Kraus from the Helmholtz Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf research centre in Germany subjected plastic to shockwaves by exposing it to the intense energy produced by SLAC's X-ray free-electron laser, known as the Linac Coherent Light Source. The experiment caused almost all the carbon atoms in the plastic to combine into diamond-like structures a few nanometers wide... Astronomers think that the forces at work deep in the frozen mantles of Uranus and Neptune are likely so powerful that each of the diamonds formed could weigh millions of carats. It is also possible that the solid cores of both planets are coated with a thick diamond outer layer.
The experiment also suggests an easier (and cleaner) way to produce diamonds in a lab, which can then be used for semiconductors, drill bits and solar panels.
This experiment shows that it is *possible* for diamonds to form under conditions that are *believed* to exist in gas giants. No direct evidence of such diamonds is actually observed, let alone "proof" that they exist. I'm not trying to cast doubt on the results, I just think we need to be careful about using the proper terminology.
Hell, it was stupid before they could be made in a lab. If they were serious about starting a life together, they'd both rather he put the money towards a down payment on a house.
That one's easy. Let me explain.
Diamonds are formed when a pretty and dumb young blonde with a D-cup chest asks her fiancé for a ring. The fiancé knows she's asking for a diamond ring and the psychological pressure turns his next six or seven paychecks into a shiny rock.
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Want to know the real value of diamonds? Try to sell one.
These stupid young men understand that the only thing that matters is passing along their jeans to the most desirable, genetically perfect mate and diamonds are a means to that end.
I don't know what the hell diamonds have to do with it, I just drop off my old jeans at Goodwill or some similar store if I want to pass them on to someone else.
Who the heck is Auther C. Clarke? Read your affiliate links before posting at least please.
Being an Arthur myself, I have observed that it's a simple name that a lot of people have problems spelling. I have seen Auther, Athor, Artur, Authur, Ator, and countless other variations.
It's so bad that I'm contemplating naming my firstborn Cholmondeley so he won't have to deal with this.
The above poster is correct. Women want the diamonds because it is part of a mating ritual. If you made the diamonds worthless, they'd want something else similarly expensive or hard to get.
Jared Diamond does a pretty good job of explaining this in "The Third Chimpanzee". Worth a read.
HBI's Law: Frequency of calling others Nazis is directly correlated with the likelihood of the accuser being Communist.