'Diamond rain' of icy planets recreated 1st time on Earth
Stanford University scientists have for the first time recreated "diamond rain" found in the interior of icy planets like Uranus and Neptune. The team simulated high-pressure conditions using intense lasers to create diamond structures, a few nanometres wide, in plastic. The "ice" here refers to hydrogen molecules connected to lighter elements, like carbon, oxygen and/or nitrogen, said scientists.