The other night I was watching TV when a man said that his company was going to make diamonds from Michael Jackson's hair. Huh? In addition to asking why would anyone want to do that, another question is how can it be done?
This reminded of a story that I read about of two companies that have figured out a way to make diamonds in a matter of days. Yes, those shiny rocks that takes Mother Nature millions of years to create, and that marketing firms have told us are a girl's best friend, can now be "made" by humans in two days. As you can imagine, DeBeers and other diamond companies must be shaking in their boots.
How is this possible you ask? Nanotechnology. Defined as "the willful manipulation of atoms and molecules" this process allows the Apollo Diamond company and Gemesis Corporation to manipulate carbon atoms and "grow" diamonds. Rumor has it that these companies just might have the ability to produce 38% of the world's diamonds by 2016.
Not one who gets excited about jewelry, I'll admit that the ability to "grow" diamonds in such a short period of time peaks my curiosity. It's just a small example of how nanotechnology has the ability to revolutionize our world in ways we can't begin to imagine.
