The Diamond Throwdown
Hannah thinks diamonds are overpriced and lame. Can Dara win her round with SCIENCE?
鈥淒iamonds are nonsense!鈥 Hannah boldly proclaimed in a previous episode. But listener Guy is a diamond enthusiast, and he and his diamond-loving pals were NOT OKAY WITH THIS. He demanded we re-open the case, and here we are...
SO in this glittering showdown, Dara is on a quest to flip Hannah鈥檚 perspective from 鈥渕eh鈥 to 鈥渕arvelous.鈥 And for Hannah, some uncomfortable facts soon emerge. It turns out that diamonds are much more than just overpriced bling. They're the secret ingredient in all sorts of high-tech gadgets with a whole arsenal of little-known superpowers.
Enter electrochemist Julie Macpherson, who blows Hannah鈥檚 mind by showing how diamonds can slice through ice like butter, thanks to their unmatched ability to conduct heat. Not impressed yet? Physicist Mark Newton makes a diamond glow in the dark, using nothing but his phone flashlight.
And that鈥檚 just to start! These ultra-robust gems can scrub nasty chemicals from water, serve as supercharged electrodes, and even reveal deep-earth secrets locked away for billions of years.
By the end of this episode, will Hannah finally admit diamonds are forever cool?
Contributors:
Charlie Bexfield - Gemmologist and diamond specialist
Julie MacPherson - Professor of Chemistry at the University of Warwick
Mark Newton - Professor of Physics at the University of Warwick
Grahame Pearson - Professor of Earth Sciences from the University of Alberta
Producer: Ilan Goodman
Executive Producer: Sasha Feachem
A 麻豆社 Studios Audio Production
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Broadcasts
- Sat 5 Apr 2025 10:00麻豆社 Radio 4
- Mon 7 Apr 2025 15:30麻豆社 Radio 4
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