A pair of psychologists at Goldsmiths, University of London has found that embedding primes in a person's speech and gestures can influence people's decision-making. In their paper published in Proceedings of the National ...
Alzheimer's disease could be better treated, thanks to a breakthrough discovery of the properties of the metals in the brain involved in the progression of the neurodegenerative condition, by an international research collaboration ...
Jun 21, 2018
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Plants have been used to produce a new vaccine against poliovirus in what is hoped to be a major step towards global eradication of the disease.
Aug 15, 2017
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Scientists at the University of Bath have made further progress to understanding the role of one of the proteins that causes the neurodegenerative disorder Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and Parkinson's Disease (PD).
Mar 10, 2017
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A type of drug used to treat weak bones is associated with an increased risk of 'micro-cracks' in bone, according to new research.
Mar 3, 2017
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Researchers at Boston Children's Hospital's Stem Cell Research Program were able, for the first time, to use patients' own cells to create cells similar to those in bone marrow, and then use them to identify potential treatments ...
Feb 8, 2017
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An international research team, led by the University of Bristol, has provided the first clues to understand how the mcr-1 gene protects bacteria from colistin - a 'last resort' antibiotic used to treat life-threatening bacterial ...
Jan 6, 2017
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Germs could play a role in the development of type 1 diabetes by triggering the body's immune system to destroy the cells that produce insulin, new research suggests.
May 16, 2016
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To establish an infection in the urinary tract, bacteria must be able to withstand the tremendous forces of urine flow so they're not simply washed away. New research is giving scientists a remarkable view of a strange, spring-like ...
Jan 12, 2016
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Each year, between 25 and 35 children in the United States and Canada are diagnosed with an inherited bone marrow failure syndrome called Diamond Blackfan anemia (DBA), according to the US Centers for Disease Control and ...
May 11, 2015
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In mineralogy, diamond (from the ancient Greek αδάμας – adámas "unbreakable") is an allotrope of carbon, where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of the face-centered cubic crystal structure called a diamond lattice. Diamond is less stable than graphite, but the conversion rate from diamond to graphite is negligible at ambient conditions. Diamond is renowned as a material with superlative physical qualities, most of which originate from the strong covalent bonding between its atoms. In particular, diamond has the highest hardness and thermal conductivity of any bulk material. Those properties determine the major industrial application of diamond in cutting and polishing tools.
Diamond has remarkable optical characteristics. Because of its extremely rigid lattice, it can be contaminated by very few types of impurities, such as boron and nitrogen. Combined with wide transparency, this results in the clear, colorless appearance of most natural diamonds. Small amounts of defects or impurities (about one per million of lattice atoms) color diamond blue (boron), yellow (nitrogen), brown (lattice defects), green (radiation exposure), purple, pink, orange or red. Diamond also has relatively high optical dispersion (ability to disperse light of different colors), which results in its characteristic luster. Excellent optical and mechanical properties, combined with efficient marketing, make diamond the most popular gemstone.
Most natural diamonds are formed at high-pressure high-temperature conditions existing at depths of 140 to 190 kilometers (87 to 120 mi) in the Earth mantle. Carbon-containing minerals provide the carbon source, and the growth occurs over periods from 1 billion to 3.3 billion years (25% to 75% of the age of the Earth). Diamonds are brought close to the Earth surface through deep volcanic eruptions by a magma, which cools into igneous rocks known as kimberlites and lamproites. Diamonds can also be produced synthetically in a high-pressure high-temperature process which approximately simulates the conditions in the Earth mantle. An alternative, and completely different growth technique is chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Several non-diamond materials, which include cubic zirconia and silicon carbide and are often called diamond simulants, resemble diamond in appearance and many properties. Special gemological techniques have been developed to distinguish natural and synthetic diamonds and diamond simulants.
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