Tiny 3-D images shed light on origin of Earth's core

To answer the big questions, it often helps to look at the smallest details. That is the approach Stanford mineral physicist Wendy Mao is taking to understanding a major event in Earth's inner history. Using a new technique to scrutinise how minute amounts of iron and silicate minerals interact at ultra-high pressures and temperatures, she is gaining insight into the biggest transformation Earth has ever undergone - the separation of its rocky mantle from its iron-rich core approximately 4.5 billion years ago...

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