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Articles on Diamonds

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The Jharia coal field in India has been on fire underground since 1916. Jonas Gratzer/LightRocket via Getty Images

Why don’t rocks burn?

Some rocks will burn, and others will melt, depending on how they were formed and what minerals they contain.
What can the Crown Jewels tell us about the history and future of the British Royals? In this photo from last May, then-Prince Charles sits with Camilla and William by the Imperial State Crown in the House of Lords Chamber in London. Ben Stansall/AP

What the Crown Jewels tell us about exploitation and the quest for reparations — Podcast

Although King Charles will have a low-key ceremony this coronation, the Crown Jewels will still figure prominently. An exploration of the jewels tells a tale of exploitation, rape and pillage.
Kimberlite volcanic rock with mantle crystals (green olivine and purple and orange garnet) and fragments of country rock (light grey).

We used to think diamonds were everywhere. New research suggests they’ve always been rare

Diamonds form alongside a distinct purple companion. We studied it to reach a conclusion about how rare they might actually be.
A miner is silhouetted as he passes through a doorway in a mine shaft 100 feet below the surface at the Giant Mine near Yellowknife, N.W.T. in July, 2003. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Diamond mines are not a girl’s best friend — Podcast

In today’s episode, we hear from two women who talk about how diamond mines in the Northwest Territories have negatively impacted women and girls and perpetuated gender violence.
A woman examines a diamond she is in the process of cutting and polishing in Yellowknife, N.W.T. in a photo from 2003. (CP PHOTO/Bob Weber)

Diamond mines in the Northwest Territories are not a girl’s best friend

While marketing has made diamond rings a symbol of heteronormative happy endings, women from the Northwest Territories tell a different story about their experiences with the diamond mines.
Earth’s interior 80 million years ago with hot structures in yellow to red (darker is shallower) and cold structures in blue (darker is deeper). Ömer Bodur/Nature

Volcanoes, diamonds, and blobs: a billion-year history of Earth’s interior shows it’s more mobile than we thought

Ancient blobs deep inside the Earth gather together and break apart like continents, according to new research.
Mokgweetsi Masisi being sworn in as the elected President of Botswana by Chief Justice Terrence Rannowane. With him is his wife Neo. Mmegi

How Masisi outsmarted Khama to take the reins in Botswana

The Khamas have dominated Botswana’s politics since the 1870s, but they are now a discredited, spent force.

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