Diamond is one tough cookie

(PhysOrg.com) -- Most people know that diamond is one of the hardest solids on Earth, so strong that it can easily cut through glass and steel. Surprisingly, very little is known about the strength of diamond at extreme conditions. ...

Researchers achieve record pressure for solid iron

(Phys.org) —Iron is the most abundant element in Earth's core and the sixth most abundant element in the universe. As a key component of terrestrial planets and exoplanets, iron has been one of the most studied materials ...

First experimental evidence for superionic ice

Among the many discoveries on matter at high pressure that garnered him the Nobel Prize in 1946, scientist Percy Bridgman discovered five different crystalline forms of water ice, ushering in more than 100 years of research ...

Compression experiments lead to shocking results

Using acceleration 1 trillion times faster than a jet fighter in a maximum turn, researchers have gained new insight into dynamic compression of aluminum at ultrahigh strain rates.

Meteorite strikes may create unexpected form of silica

When a meteorite hurtles through the atmosphere and crashes to Earth, how does its violent impact alter the minerals found at the landing site? What can the short-lived chemical phases created by these extreme impacts teach ...

Glancing blow from a comet could create amino acids

(PhysOrg.com) -- Amino acids are markers for potential life since they are the building blocks of proteins. Now scientists in California have for the first time found the shock wave created when a comet has a glancing blow ...

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