Live Science Today: ‘Hexagonal’ diamonds and fish scale down
Today’s news
Scientists have debated for decades about hexagonal diamonds (whose carbon atoms are arranged in hexagons instead of the cubic lattices seen in natural diamonds). First theorized in 1962, diamonds were later discovered in meteorites that arrived on Earth from the mantle of shattered dwarf planets, although the evidence for this hypothesis is disputed.
Today, three separate research groups appear to have produced samples of pure or near-pure hexagonal diamonds. If their results are replicated consistently and can be scaled up, they could pave the way for all kinds of new applications.
The trend
Climate change is making fish smaller, study finds alarming new study published in the journal Science. He warns that the change could worsen losses in the fishing sector by 50%.
As ocean temperatures soar, fish evolve to grow faster and mature earlier, reducing their maximum size. This in turn leads to lower catches for fisheries, putting on a razor-thin line a vital source of protein that billions of people depend on.
The scientists behind the study say this is yet another reason to reduce carbon emissions, preserving millions of tonnes of food production that would otherwise be lost.
Three to read
- Measles resurgence in the United States is a grim sign of things to come [Live Science]
- China creates a clock so precise it could redefine the second [ScienceAlert]
- GPS is used in electronic warfare – and it puts ships at risk [Live Science]
Say it, I said it
Word of the day: Zugzwang —Originally a chess term, this German word is used in psychology and game theory to describe a situation in which any move you make will worsen your position.
Quote of the day: “We now face the question of the 30 million tonnes: we must determine whether this is just a small natural leak of ancient carbon or the start of large-scale destabilization.”
Fun and games
Today’s game is Chain Word, which is a bit like another popular word game, but with science.
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