Tag

Carbon

All articles tagged with #carbon

environment1 month ago•2 min saved

AI's Hidden Footprint: Quantifying Carbon, Water, and Land in the Digital Era

A UNU-INWEH report finds AI’s environmental costs go beyond carbon to include water use and land impact driven by data centers and electricity sources. Footprints vary by where energy is produced and the patterns of AI use, raising governance and equity concerns. It calls for transparency, efficiency by design, lifecycle responsibility, and global cooperation to align AI development with energy, climate, water, and land-use planning.

via UNU | United Nations University|

#ai #carbon #energy

astronomy2 months ago•7 min saved

Mercury’s Hidden Diamond Layer Redefines Its Inner Story

A study suggests Mercury might contain a 9–11 mile (15–18 km) thick diamond layer at the core–mantle boundary, formed as carbon-rich material crystallized during magma-ocean cooling and core solidification, with sulfur facilitating diamond stability; such a layer could affect heat flow and Mercury’s magnetic field, but the idea awaits confirmation from future missions.

via The Daily Galaxy|

#astronomy #carbon #core-mantle-boundary

space3 months ago•66 min saved

Ancient star in its birthplace sheds light on carbon’s cosmic origins

Astronomers have spotted PicII-503, an ancient Population II star inside the 10+ billion-year-old dwarf galaxy Pictor II. This star is unusually rich in carbon relative to iron, a clue that carbon—crucial for life—was synthesized in early supernovae and distributed throughout the universe, helping explain why carbon is so widespread.

via Live Science|

#astronomy #carbon #picii-503

science3 months ago•5 min saved

Lab-Forged Pure Hexagonal Diamond Outclasses Natural Diamond

Chinese researchers at Zhengzhou University report the first laboratory-made pure hexagonal diamond (lonsdaleite), a carbon form that is harder and more oxidation-resistant than cubic natural diamond; produced by compressing graphite under extreme pressure and heat and confirmed by spectroscopy and simulations, with potential applications in cutting tools, abrasives, heat management and quantum sensing, and published in Nature in March 2026.

via Indian Defence Review|

#carbon #hexagonal-diamond #high-pressure-synthesis

science3 months ago•31 min saved

Lab-made hexagonal diamond edges past regular diamond in hardness

Chinese researchers report synthesizing millimetre-sized bulk hexagonal diamond from oriented graphite under about 20 GPa and 1,300–1,900°C, with diffraction confirming a pure hexagonal carbon phase. They measured a hardness around 114 GPa, slightly higher than typical natural cubic diamond (~110 GPa), and highlight high thermal stability, addressing long-standing debate over hexagonal diamond and suggesting potential for advanced technological uses.

via Yahoo News Canada|

#carbon #diamond #hexagonal-diamond

science3 months ago•41 min saved

Lab-forged hexagonal diamond edges out natural diamond in hardness

Chinese researchers synthesized millimetre-sized, phase-pure hexagonal diamond in the lab by compressing highly ordered graphite between tungsten-carbide anvils at 20 gigapascals and heating to 1,300–1,900°C, yielding a material with about 114 gigapascals hardness—slightly tougher than natural cubic diamond—which could enable new technologies and settles long‑standing debates about the phase’s existence.

via Yahoo|

#carbon #diamond #hardness

science4 months ago•6 min saved

Strongest evidence yet that hexagonal diamond is real and potentially harder than cubic diamond

Chinese researchers report millimeter-sized samples of hexagonal diamond (lonsdaleite) produced by compressing graphite at ~20 GPa and 1300–1900 °C, with X-ray diffraction peaks that conclusively confirm the hexagonal structure; tests show the material is stiffer, more oxidation resistant, and slightly harder than conventional cubic diamond, marking the strongest evidence to date in decades-long debates and offering potential uses in tools, thermal management, and quantum sensing.

via Nature|

#carbon #hexagonal-diamond #high-pressure

science9 months ago•5 min saved

Scientists Find Carbon May Have Triggered Earth's Core Crystallization and Preserved Magnetic Field

Scientists from Oxford, Leeds, and UCL discovered that carbon played a crucial role in Earth's inner core formation, reducing supercooling requirements and potentially more abundant than previously thought, which impacts our understanding of Earth's magnetic field and interior dynamics.

via Rude Baguette|

#carbon #crystallization #earths-core

science9 months ago•2 min saved

Mysteries of Earth's Inner Core and Its Impact on Gravity Unveiled

A new study suggests that the presence of about 4% carbon in Earth's core allowed the iron to solidify under high pressure and temperature conditions, explaining how the planet's inner core froze and providing insights into Earth's geological history.

via BBC Science Focus Magazine|

#carbon #earths-core #geology

science11 months ago•4 min saved

China Discovers Unusual Anomaly in Moon Dust Samples

Chinese researchers discovered natural multilayer graphene in moon dust samples from the Chang'e-5 mission, challenging previous beliefs about the Moon's dryness and carbon content, and opening new avenues for understanding lunar formation and resource utilization.

via Earth.com|

#carbon #change-5 #graphene

science1 year ago•5 min saved

Ceres: A Clue to Life's Origins on a Dwarf Planet

A new study suggests that collisions in space can produce and preserve carbon on dwarf planets like Ceres, which may hold clues to the origins of life. The research highlights the importance of future sample return missions to analyze organic materials on Ceres, especially in light of its potential subsurface ocean and the challenges posed by shock metamorphism during impacts. Funding and mission planning are critical for advancing this research.

via Salon.com|

#carbon #ceres #planetary-formation

science-and-technology2 years ago•3 min saved

Carbon Found in Galaxy 350 Million Years Post-Big Bang

Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have detected carbon in a galaxy observed just 350 million years after the big bang, suggesting that the conditions for life may have been present much earlier than previously thought. This discovery indicates that vast amounts of carbon were released by the first generation of stars exploding in supernovae, challenging previous beliefs that carbon enrichment occurred about 1 billion years after the big bang. The findings, which will be published in Astronomy & Astrophysics, highlight the potential for early life-forming conditions in the universe.

via The Guardian|

#astronomy #carbon #early-universe

science2 years ago•3 min saved

"Discovery of a Novel Fullerene Molecule: Fullertube Unveiled"

A UdeM doctoral student in physics, Emmanuel Bourret, has led an international team of scientists to successfully demonstrate the existence of C130 fullertubes, molecules made up of 130 carbon atoms, which had previously only existed in theory. Using principles of quantum mechanics, the team isolated these rare molecules from soot and calculated their electronic structure. The discovery, published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, could have potential applications in green hydrogen production.

via Phys.org|

#carbon #chemistry #fullertubes

science-and-technology2 years ago•3 min saved

"New Material Poised to Surpass Diamond as the Hardest Substance"

Scientists have long theorized that an ultra-dense form of carbon called BC8 could be even harder than diamond and may exist on carbon-rich exoplanets. Using supercomputer simulations, researchers have now gained insight into the narrow pressure and temperature conditions under which BC8 can form. This discovery could have significant implications for various industries. Previous attempts to observe BC8's atomic structure have been unsuccessful, but the recent simulations provide a potential pathway for creating BC8 and understanding its properties.

via Yahoo! Voices|

#bc8 #carbon #diamond

science-and-technology2 years ago•2 min saved

"Supercomputer Simulates Creation of Tougher-Than-Diamond 'Super Diamonds'"

Scientists have used a supercomputer to simulate the creation of BC8, an elusive and superstrong form of carbon that could be 30% tougher than diamonds. This theoretical material has never been observed and may only exist in the extreme conditions found in the center of exoplanets. The simulations revealed that BC8 can be stable at very high pressures and ambient temperatures, and researchers are now attempting to synthesize it in the lab using methods involving shocking diamonds and compressing them under enormous pressures.

via Livescience.com|

#bc8 #carbon #diamonds