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![Close-up of costume diamonds in a black background.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/VrTmQwZczZNg7H9iAQdYWg-320-80.jpg 320w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/VrTmQwZczZNg7H9iAQdYWg-450-80.jpg 450w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/VrTmQwZczZNg7H9iAQdYWg-500-80.jpg 500w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/VrTmQwZczZNg7H9iAQdYWg-650-80.jpg 650w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/VrTmQwZczZNg7H9iAQdYWg-840-80.jpg 840w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/VrTmQwZczZNg7H9iAQdYWg-970-80.jpg 970w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/VrTmQwZczZNg7H9iAQdYWg-1024-80.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/VrTmQwZczZNg7H9iAQdYWg-1200-80.jpg 1200w)
Is anything harder than a diamond?
By Laurel Hamers published
Diamonds are naturally hard, but is there anything from Earth, space or even a lab that's harder?
![A Paper Nautilus drifts on a piece of ocean debris at night, surrounded by heavy sediment.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ZTnHW69PfkGmgLg7LL6gTL-320-80.jpeg 320w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ZTnHW69PfkGmgLg7LL6gTL-450-80.jpeg 450w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ZTnHW69PfkGmgLg7LL6gTL-500-80.jpeg 500w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ZTnHW69PfkGmgLg7LL6gTL-650-80.jpeg 650w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ZTnHW69PfkGmgLg7LL6gTL-840-80.jpeg 840w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ZTnHW69PfkGmgLg7LL6gTL-970-80.jpeg 970w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ZTnHW69PfkGmgLg7LL6gTL-1024-80.jpeg 1024w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ZTnHW69PfkGmgLg7LL6gTL-1200-80.jpeg 1200w)
Eerie blackwater dive image shows paper nautilus floating on stick after volcanic eruption
By Annie Corinne Shaink published
A photograph of a paper nautilus in the aftermath of the Taal volcano eruption in the Philippines has won 2023 Ocean Photographer of the Year award.
![Map of Earth's principal tectonic plates. Earth's lithosphere. Major and minor plates. arrows indicate direction of movement at plate boundaries. Vector illustration.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/z7DAeSicvTpKcStVRVhnNZ-320-80.jpeg 320w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/z7DAeSicvTpKcStVRVhnNZ-450-80.jpeg 450w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/z7DAeSicvTpKcStVRVhnNZ-500-80.jpeg 500w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/z7DAeSicvTpKcStVRVhnNZ-650-80.jpeg 650w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/z7DAeSicvTpKcStVRVhnNZ-840-80.jpeg 840w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/z7DAeSicvTpKcStVRVhnNZ-970-80.jpeg 970w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/z7DAeSicvTpKcStVRVhnNZ-1024-80.jpeg 1024w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/z7DAeSicvTpKcStVRVhnNZ-1200-80.jpeg 1200w)
How many tectonic plates does Earth have?
By Emma Bryce published
The number varies from a dozen to almost 100 — and most of these don't even appear on official maps.
![Illustration of a volcano super eruption seen from the sky.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/PeZBMyzJeF7RwqgUpGymYW-320-80.jpg 320w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/PeZBMyzJeF7RwqgUpGymYW-450-80.jpg 450w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/PeZBMyzJeF7RwqgUpGymYW-500-80.jpg 500w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/PeZBMyzJeF7RwqgUpGymYW-650-80.jpg 650w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/PeZBMyzJeF7RwqgUpGymYW-840-80.jpg 840w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/PeZBMyzJeF7RwqgUpGymYW-970-80.jpg 970w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/PeZBMyzJeF7RwqgUpGymYW-1024-80.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/PeZBMyzJeF7RwqgUpGymYW-1200-80.jpg 1200w)
Massive New Zealand eruption 1,800 years ago flung volcanic glass 3,000 miles to Antarctica
By Sascha Pare published
Scientists disagree about the timing of the Taupō volcanic eruption — one of the largest on Earth in the past 5,000 years — but shards of glass discovered in Antarctic ice could settle this debate.
![map showing the pontus plate which vanished 20 million years ago](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/bK8crEvryP7ThzPRtK8sQk-320-80.jpg 320w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/bK8crEvryP7ThzPRtK8sQk-450-80.jpg 450w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/bK8crEvryP7ThzPRtK8sQk-500-80.jpg 500w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/bK8crEvryP7ThzPRtK8sQk-650-80.jpg 650w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/bK8crEvryP7ThzPRtK8sQk-840-80.jpg 840w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/bK8crEvryP7ThzPRtK8sQk-970-80.jpg 970w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/bK8crEvryP7ThzPRtK8sQk-1024-80.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/bK8crEvryP7ThzPRtK8sQk-1200-80.jpg 1200w)
Scientists discover ghost of ancient mega-plate that disappeared 20 million years ago
By Stephanie Pappas published
A long-lost tectonic plate dubbed 'Pontus' that was a quarter of the size of the Pacific Ocean was discovered by chance by scientists studying ancient rocks in Borneo.
![Water gushes through dark, craggy rocks on the shore.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/82D8cAV5oQz3ZLGsGFvSZ6-320-80.jpg 320w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/82D8cAV5oQz3ZLGsGFvSZ6-450-80.jpg 450w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/82D8cAV5oQz3ZLGsGFvSZ6-500-80.jpg 500w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/82D8cAV5oQz3ZLGsGFvSZ6-650-80.jpg 650w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/82D8cAV5oQz3ZLGsGFvSZ6-840-80.jpg 840w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/82D8cAV5oQz3ZLGsGFvSZ6-970-80.jpg 970w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/82D8cAV5oQz3ZLGsGFvSZ6-1024-80.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/82D8cAV5oQz3ZLGsGFvSZ6-1200-80.jpg 1200w)
Earth's crust swallowed a sea's worth of water and locked it away beneath Pacific seafloor
By Sascha Pare published
Porous rock that formed during one of Earth's biggest volcanic eruptions absorbed so much water as it eroded that it created a huge reservoir over the eons, now buried deep in Earth's crust.
![methane bubbles trapped below the surface of a frozen body of water with a black background](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/e4vUpZpPBJdXmkMMG3Vx7a-320-80.jpg 320w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/e4vUpZpPBJdXmkMMG3Vx7a-450-80.jpg 450w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/e4vUpZpPBJdXmkMMG3Vx7a-500-80.jpg 500w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/e4vUpZpPBJdXmkMMG3Vx7a-650-80.jpg 650w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/e4vUpZpPBJdXmkMMG3Vx7a-840-80.jpg 840w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/e4vUpZpPBJdXmkMMG3Vx7a-970-80.jpg 970w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/e4vUpZpPBJdXmkMMG3Vx7a-1024-80.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/e4vUpZpPBJdXmkMMG3Vx7a-1200-80.jpg 1200w)
Strange methane leak discovered at the deepest point of the Baltic Sea baffling scientists
By Rachel Parsons published
A huge methane leak discovered in the Baltic Sea spans 7.7 square miles, with masses of gas bubbles rising almost all the way to the ocean surface.
![a pile of silvery niobium, a rare earth element](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/FHkC3vkQfFgWXzRNspo73e-320-80.jpg 320w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/FHkC3vkQfFgWXzRNspo73e-450-80.jpg 450w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/FHkC3vkQfFgWXzRNspo73e-500-80.jpg 500w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/FHkC3vkQfFgWXzRNspo73e-650-80.jpg 650w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/FHkC3vkQfFgWXzRNspo73e-840-80.jpg 840w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/FHkC3vkQfFgWXzRNspo73e-970-80.jpg 970w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/FHkC3vkQfFgWXzRNspo73e-1024-80.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/FHkC3vkQfFgWXzRNspo73e-1200-80.jpg 1200w)
China discovers never-before-seen ore containing a highly valuable rare earth element
By Stephanie Pappas published
A new ore, dubbed niobobaotite, was discovered in Inner Mongolia's Bayan Obo deposit and contains the rare earth element niobium — a valuable metal that acts as a superconductor and could revolutionize battery technology.
![composite image showing maps of new zealand and the lost continent of zealandia](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ucVFxKXgawncThNMhcd5jU-320-80.jpg 320w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ucVFxKXgawncThNMhcd5jU-450-80.jpg 450w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ucVFxKXgawncThNMhcd5jU-500-80.jpg 500w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ucVFxKXgawncThNMhcd5jU-650-80.jpg 650w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ucVFxKXgawncThNMhcd5jU-840-80.jpg 840w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ucVFxKXgawncThNMhcd5jU-970-80.jpg 970w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ucVFxKXgawncThNMhcd5jU-1024-80.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ucVFxKXgawncThNMhcd5jU-1200-80.jpg 1200w)
Zealandia, Earth's hidden continent, was torn from supercontinent Gondwana in flood of fire 100 million years ago
By Carissa Wong published
Scientists have fully mapped the lost continent of Zealandia in a world first, discovering new details about how it broke away from the supercontinent Gondwana through the ignition of a huge volcanic region tens of millions of years ago.
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