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The mother of pearls

Pearls display nature’s strength, as they are made inside oysters but they are remarkably sturdy. Scientists have now found a way to copy what oysters have been doing over the millions of years – they have created a pearl-like material that could some day be useful for replacing weak bones and making machines. The substance is made out of tiny crystals and proteins, pieced together like the bricks and mortar of a brick wall. And the method of manufacture promises to be easy and cheap and also environmentally friendly. Man’s best friend?

Diamonds are special and also the hardest minerals on earth. Research has now shown that people in ancient China appreciated the wonders of diamonds to such an extent that they may have used them some 6,000 years ago to polish their stone axes! That pushes back by several thousand years the date for the first known use of diamonds.