Science, what with all of its rigorous procedure and stifling detail, can sometimes be a bore. But this wacky new study that says we could achieve cold fusion with an ultra fast diamond bullet: not boring at all!
Chinese researchers say that firing a tiny, millimeter-sized diamond bullet into a block of methane at 1,000 km/s (about 2,200,000 miles per hour) could yield heat high enough to achieve nuclear fusion. Nuclear fusion, of course, is the elusive Holy Grail of clean energy that could power our world sustainably into the future. Just don't miss that methane block.
According to computer simulations, the initial impact of the diamond bullet would be 4 petawatts, about 80% of which scatters immediately. What's left, though, is still enough to get things hot enough for fusion, the scientists say.
At this stage, obviously, all of this is very hypothetical, but it has already served to confirm one thing quite empircally: DIAMONDS + BULLETS + 2 MILLION MILES PER HOUR = the coolest science news of the day. [PopSci]