Hannah Fry hates diamonds. Dara Ó Briain loves them. Can science bring them together?

“Diamonds are nonsense!” Hannah boldly proclaimed in a previous episode. But listener Guy is a diamond enthusiast, and he and his diamond-loving pals were NOT OKAY WITH THIS. He demanded we re-open the case, and here we are…

SO in this glittering showdown, Dara is on a quest to flip Hannah’s perspective from “meh” to “marvelous.” And for Hannah, some uncomfortable facts soon emerge. It turns out that diamonds are much more than just overpriced bling. They’re the secret ingredient in all sorts of high-tech gadgets with a whole arsenal of little-known superpowers.

Enter electrochemist Julie Macpherson, who blows Hannah’s mind by showing how diamonds can slice through ice like butter, thanks to their unmatched ability to conduct heat. Not impressed yet? Physicist Mark Newton makes a diamond glow in the dark, using nothing but his phone flashlight.

And that’s just to start! These ultra-robust gems can scrub nasty chemicals from water, serve as supercharged electrodes, and even reveal deep-earth secrets locked away for billions of years.

By the end of this episode, will Hannah finally admit diamonds are forever cool?

Contributors:

Charlie Bexfield – Gemmologist and diamond specialist
Julie MacPherson – Professor of Chemistry at the University of Warwick
Mark Newton – Professor of Physics at the University of Warwick
Grahame Pearson – Professor of Earth Sciences from the University of Alberta

Producer: Ilan Goodman
Executive Producer: Sasha Feachem
A BBC Studios Audio Production

Source: BBC Radio 4 – Curious Cases, Series 23, The Diamond Throwdown