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back to article Exotic Russian rock CAME FROM OUTER SPACE

Atom-bothering boffins have proved that a crystal previously only found in labs also occurs naturally - in outer space. The scientists have found evidence that a 'quasicrystal' uncovered in Russia was actually part of a meteorite that fell to Earth rather than a material that was formed naturally on our home world. …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    It came from outer space

    Meh!

    I want an iPhone cover made from that stuff.

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  2. Jolyon Ralph

    Icosahedrite

    None of the articles seem to have mentioned the name of this mystery mineral - which is actually called icosahedrite - see http://www.mindat.org/min-40647.html

    An entirely new crystal system had to be invented for this - called 'Icosahedral'.

    Jolyon

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    1. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Anonymous Coward

      Thank-you!

      I was hunting for just that factoid.

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  3. It wasnt me
    Thumb Up

    Well.....

    Pumping this sort of thing into inter-stellar space sounds like the sort of thing the human race might do to demonstrate our understandings of geometry and physics to whatever else might be out there. Could be that it wasnt naturally made after all and theres someone/thing thinking along the same lines ?

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  4. Simbu
    Alien

    Scientists got trolled...

    Them rocks ain't naturally occurring, they was planted there by little green men for us to find!

    Next week... scientists find anti-matter debris from a warp-drive engine!

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  5. tkioz
    Happy

    Pretty!

    The image of what they look like is really rather pretty.

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    1. Wize
      Reply Icon

      I'm sure I had this as lino...

      ...many moons ago.

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  6. donlaw
    Happy

    Dr Science (metallurgy)

    I have notice that the makeip of the slice picture that all the arranged particles are 5 or 10 or 25 on the most part. just 5 or 5 x 2=10 5 x 5= 25 with our lor looking to deep into the metrics the nex number should be 5 x10= 50. This is an interesting arrangement.

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    1. Jolyon Ralph
      Reply Icon

      five-fold symmetry

      Yes. the stuff has five-fold symmetry, which is freaky and quite unnaturally weird. Nothing else in the mineral world does.

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  7. Graham Marsden
    Coat

    Are they sure...

    ... it didn't come from an exploding planet?

    Mine's the one with the big S on the front ;-)

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  8. DZ-Jay

    Russian Rock From Outer Space

    And here I was thinking the story was about explaining why certain Russian loud music is so strange.

    -dZ.

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  9. K. Adams
    Joke

    I bet typing "stishovite" had to be fun...

    ... considering what the result of fat-fingering the word is likely to be. :-)

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  10. Stevie

    Fools!

    Aiee!

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  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    There's More to be Learnt

    http://iheardacouplethings.blogspot.com/2012/01/russian-space-crystals.html

    The Russians seem to have no luck with rockets and space and Mars, but it seems they've scored a lucky discovery here. I have posted here a discussion of some of the controversy behind these extraterrestrial goodies.

    That is all.

    Listener 43

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  12. JonRussell

    Outer space ? Really ? It just looks like they found the origins of wall paper, thats all ... :-)

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  13. Alistair Stewart
    Alien

    Eastaliens

    It's obviously an alien data storage device. Has anyone searched for a pattern in these crystals? If we can decode the pattern, we might even find that this is a box set of an alien soap opera. I hope they haven't lost the big finale from the last episode.

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  14. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Looks like something which was produced by early fractal generators. Wait, first discovered 1982? Never mind.

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  15. Mikel
    Holmes

    Just to be a pedant

    All rocks came from outer space. And in a sense, they're still there.

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  16. Roger Kynaston
    Coat

    Hrmm

    No mention on any practical uses for this stuff.

    Based on the fact that it is extra terrestial .... could it form part of an intergalactic communication device? if so could the fact that it was not "discovered" till recently have caused considerable distress to a visitor from 1982 in our calculations. He might have been able to call home then.

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