I found this infographic to be both helpful and interesting, and I hope you enjoy it!
Diamonds: Much More Than Just a Girl’s Best Friend
October 15, 2015 by
Yesterday, an astonishing article was published by Tech Times about how synthetic diamonds are being used for early detection and treatment of some of the most aggressive cancers. Seems like diamonds can really be even more than a girl’s best friend, doesn’t it?
According to the article, “Physicists at the University of Sydney’s ARC Centre of Excellence for Engineered Quantum Systems have found a way to use nanoscale or synthetic “diamonds” to identify cancerous tumors before they turn life-threatening” (Pascual, Synthetic Diamonds Offer Hope for Early and Effective Treatment of Deadly Cancers). This research is groundbreaking and proves that diamonds are much more than just aesthetically pleasing.
The study developed by physicists at the University of Sydney was published recently in Nature Communications, and proved that synthetic diamonds are a more readily accessible way to detect early-stage cancers throughout MRI scans. In addition, the article noted that, “Lead researcher and physics professor David Reilly highlighted the nontoxic, nonreactive nature of nanodiamonds, making them potentially useful in drug delivery during chemotherapy,” (Pascual, Synthetic Diamonds Offer Hope for Early and Effective Treatment of Deadly Cancers).
By magnetizing the atoms inside of the diamond, they light up on an MRI scan and are then attached to cancer-targeting chemicals. After the MRI, the diamonds are placed into the body, tracked, and will light up on the scan if there is cancer present within the body. Professor Reilly explains the beauty and effectiveness of the physics behind this research, stating:
“‘We effectively turned a pharmaceutical problem into a physics problem’… citing that the team hyperpolarized nanodiamonds or aligned atoms inside them to create an MRI-detectable signal,” (Pascual, Synthetic Diamonds Offer Hope for Early and Effective Treatment of Deadly Cancers).
The study proved that experts at quantum physics can use their knowledge to debatably solve these real-world problems, especially in terms of targeting and detecting cancers that are otherwise difficult to find. Certain cancers, such as brain and pancreatic, are usually only detectable in later stages – but, using synthetic diamonds can offer detection much earlier, especially for those with a family history of these types of cancers.
It seems as though diamonds have opened a whole new realm of possibilities when it comes to quantum physics and cancer screening, which will help save an astounding number of lives.
Diamonds Crystallizing From Seawater
September 21, 2015 by
In recent studies, scientists have discovered that diamonds crystallize from ancients saltwaters going back as far as 200 million year ago and plan on using this information to help figure out how exactly diamonds form. If found, it would be paramount for the diamond industry and might eliminate the infamous “blood diamonds” as this has been causing damages for decades.
Geochemist at Columbia University, Yaakov Weiss says, “We can look at diamonds as time capsules, as messengers from a place we have no other way of seeing.” This is an interesting way to conceptualize the expensive precious stones that have been a symbol of affluence as long as time.
Researchers hypothesize that the gems begin to crystallize from the extraordinary heat and pressure in the Earth’s mantle layer located about 90 to 100 miles below the surface. The deepest diamond found came from 430 miles below the surface. Volcanic action and eruptions bring the precious stones to the surface with some dating back as far as 2.1 billion years ago. They surface in rock formations called kimberlites. Of about 2,000 known kimberlites, only around 60 were worth mining.
It is believed that diamonds crystallize in these conditions with the aid of a fluid though it hasn’t been proven or agreed upon on what exactly that fluid is. Many agree that both poor and high quality diamonds from this same fluid though. Weiss commented, “Personally, I am among those that think that most diamonds form in a similar way.”
In the Ekati Diamond Mine located in Canada, geochemists have been studying and analyzing fluid inclusions in the formation of diamonds in hopes to discover what the mystery fluid is that the changes their structure. The diamonds used for this process are usually flawed with impurities. Eleven fibrous (multilevel) diamonds were used to conduct their study. What they found was that the fluid was salty and filled with sodium, chlorine, and potassium. All the characteristics of seawater.
This “seawater” could be evidence that the Earth’s oceanic crust is having a chemical reaction and creating a mixture with solid rock, allowing the diamonds to crystalize. Although more study and examination is necessary, this information could also mark a change and create a new wave in mining. This could also spark a boost in the declining market.