[Graeme]

Machine melts diamond to puddle

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'U').S. scientists have used a machine that creates pressures more than 10 million times that of the atmosphere at sea level to turn diamonds into liquid.

The object of the experiment using the Sandia National Laboratory's "Z machine" -- the largest X-ray generator in the world -- was to better understand the characteristics of a diamond under the extreme pressure it would face when used as a capsule for a BB-sized pellet intended to fuel a nuclear fusion reaction.

Researchers said the experiment is another step in the drive to release enough energy from fused atoms to create unlimited electrical power for humanity.