By Sara Spary
...diamonds (click here) that are "physically and chemically identical to Earth-mined diamonds,"...
Diamonds might be forever, (click here) but that doesn't mean they have to take eons to form.
The gemstones are usually created after carbon is crushed and heated far beneath the Earth's surface over billions of years -- which is what makes them so coveted.
Now, scientists in Australia say they have sped up the process into just a matter of minutes -- and at room temperature.
An international team of researchers led by the Australian National University (ANU) and RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia said Wednesday they have created two types of diamond at room temperature by using high pressure equivalent to 640 African elephants balancing on the tip of a ballet shoe....
...To form the diamonds, researchers applied immense pressure to create a "twisting or sliding force" that they believe caused the carbon atoms to move into place, said Jodie Bradby, a physics professor at ANU.
"Natural diamonds are usually formed over billions of years, about 150 kilometers (about 93 miles) deep in the Earth where there are high pressures and temperatures above 1,000 degrees Celsius (1,832 degrees Fahrenheit)," she said. "The twist in the story is how we apply the pressure."...
