my diamond's harder than yours
it can conduct electricity too
Hey folks,
Welcome to the not-so-nerdy (but nerdy) This Week in Engineering’s newsletter - formerly known as Engineer’s Espresso!
Do you own diamonds?
This is insane. Scientists in China just made diamonds 40% harder than natural ones.
we're talking about super-diamonds only found in meteorites before this.
The trick?
They changed the structure from cubic to hexagonal. That's it.
What's actually impressive here is how they did it. The team at Jilin University figured out that if you squeeze and heat graphite under insane pressure, it forms this weird "post-graphite phase" that turns into hexagonal diamonds.
And they're not just harder - they can handle heat better than regular diamonds too.
Scientists have known about these since finding one in an Arizona meteorite back in '67. But making them in a lab? That's new. Sure, the US tried in 2021, but China claims they've cracked it for real this time.
Why care? Think about every industrial diamond blade, every drilling bit. Now imagine those 40% stronger. That's huge. Plus these things handle heat better than regular diamonds.
Oh yeah - and last year China figured out how to make diamonds conduct electricity. Which is nuts because diamonds normally don't do that.
Welcome to 2025, where even diamonds aren't hard enough anymore.
Think you know all there is about diamonds? Dive into this quiz to test your diamond knowledge, from natural wonders to cutting-edge synthetics!
What natural process leads to the creation of most Earth-mined diamonds?
Which property makes diamonds essential in industrial applications?
What is unique about the 'super diamond' developed in China?
It's 40% harder than natural diamonds
How do synthetic diamonds differ from their natural counterparts in terms of manufacturing?
They can be made in a lab setting
Ready to share more shiny facts or have a diamond question that stumps you?
Drop your thoughts here!
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China’s not only cooking up diamonds, they’re cooking up prosthetics. They just built a hand that's actually light enough to use and moves almost like a real one.
Not talking about those clunky robot hands - this thing weighs less than a pound and can do everything from combing hair to playing chess.
Your hand makes up 54% of all the ways your body can move, but weighs basically nothing (like 1/150th of your body).
That's been impossible to copy until now.
click to watch the full video!
Regular prosthetics either move like crap or weigh too much to be useful.
The breakthrough?
They ditched motors and used this smart metal that remembers its shape. Added fake tendons too, just like in a real hand. Packed it with 23 sensors and 38 of these metal muscles. Result? A hand that moves in 19 different ways - pretty damn close to a real hand's 23.
The really cool part is you can control it with your voice. Works in 60 languages, responds instantly, and gets it right 95% of the time. They've got people using it to write, shake hands, even do sign language.
Imagine losing your hand (actually dont) and actually being able to exchange business cards or use your phone again. That's what this makes possible. No BS, no tech hype - just a prosthetic that finally works like it should.
- Engineer - Structures - Structural Integrity Associates
Holding things together—literally. If you love making sure buildings don’t do the cha-cha in an earthquake, this one's for you. - MEP Mechanical Engineer - Actalent
Designing pipes, ducts, and all things that keep buildings breathing. Basically, you're an HVAC whisperer. - Sr. Control Systems Engineer - Shell
Keeping machines in check so they don’t develop a mind of their own. If you secretly enjoy being a robot overlord, apply now.
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