[Sci/Tech] New property found in ancient mineral lodestone

[Malice-]

Using the latest methods for nanofabrication, a team led by Rice University physicists has discovered a surprising new electronic property in one of the earliest-known and most-studied magnetic minerals on Earth -- lodestone, also known as magnetite.

By changing the voltage in their experiment, researchers were able to get magnetite at temperatures colder than minus 250 degrees Fahrenheit to revert from an insulator to a conductor. The research was published online Dec. 16 and will be included in February's print edition of Nature Materials.

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[Father_Yetti]

Wow, thats really cool. I am glad there is still so much we still have to learn of the world around us. That also reminds me of liquid helium, when it reaches 2 degrees above absolute zero it transforms into a super fluid: losing all viscosity at which point it can operate frictionless, defy gravity, and permeate containers that otherwise hold liquids. Pretty cool video on it: http://www.5min.com/Video/Superfluid-Liquid-Helium-Phenomenon-1885819