interesting stories from around the world
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Tuesday, 11 September 2007 |
Facial scans could reveal genetic disorders
The once-popular idea that you can read a person's character from their face could be making a medical comeback. In Victorian times, the science of phrenology - in which the bumps on the head were 'read' to predict personalities - was taken seriously. The technique was discredited in the 20th century, but now a computer system has been developed which will allow doctors to diagnose genetic disorders by looking at a child's face. It analyses the shape of the eyes, nose, mouth and ears to pinpoint the genetic condition a child might be suffering from.
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Monday, 03 September 2007 |
It’s Faster than a Ferrari...and it’s Electric
For drivers who want to be green but not boring, the new electric Lightning supercar could prove the ultimate eco-friendly boys' toy. This emission free 130mph sports car - which has a hint of Jaguar, Aston Martin and TVR styling - can outpace a Porsche 911 or a Ferrari 575 - sprinting from zero to 60mph in under four seconds. And though it will cost you a tingling £150,000, it is simply powered by 30 rechargeable batteries and doesn't use an ounce of fossil fuel.
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Monday, 03 September 2007 |
Famous Diamonds and Their Stories
There are many famous diamonds in the world, some surrounded in mystery, others supposidly cursed. What follows are the stories of just some of them, among the most famous of them all. To read the story of a particular diamond, just click on the name of the stone.
The Cullinan Diamond The Oppenheimer Diamond
The Blue Hope Diamond The Koh-I-Noor Diamond
The Star of Sierra Leone The Idol's Eye Diamond
The Hortensia Diamond The Kahn Canary
The Kimberly Diamond The Niarchos Diamond
The Tiffany Diamond The Eureka Diamond
The Star of South Africa
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Monday, 03 September 2007 |
The Star of South Africa
The Star of South Africa, a 47.69-carat old style pear-shaped diamond, was cut from a crystal of 83.50 carats, and is credited with being the diamond that turned the tides of fortune in South Africa. In 1869, it was picked up by a Griqua shepherd boy on the Zandfontein Farm near the Orange River. Schalk van Niekerk, who three years earlier had had a stroke of luck with a "pebble" that proved to be a 21.25-carat diamond (the Eureka Diamond), traded the young native for the stone, giving him five hundred sheep, ten oxen, and a horse. It was practically all of Niekerk's possessions, but a few days later in Hopetown he sold the rough crystal for $56,000.
Later, the stone was purchased by Louis Hond, a diamond cutter, and fashioned to what was described as an "oval, three-sided brilliant" and was sold to the Earl of Dudley for $125,000 (or about £25,000). The Countess Dudley wore it as a hair ornament, surrounded by 95 smaller diamonds. The current location of the stone is unknown, but this being a color photo, it is safe to say the stone is still in circulation.
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Monday, 03 September 2007 |
The Eureka Diamond
This 10.73-carat brilliant is not, by ordinary standards, exceptional. However, it was cut from the first diamond found in South Africa and therefore has historical significance. In 1866 a shepherd boy found a small, shiny stone on the south bank of the Orange River near Hopetown. The pebble was kept for a while by a 15-year-old boy named Erasmus Jacobs, who later gave it to his neighbour, farmer Schalk van Niekerk, a collector of unusual stones.
Van Niekerk entrusted the pebble to John O'Reilly, a traveling peddler, who sent it, in an unsealed envelope, to Dr W.G. Atherstone of Grahamstown, one of the few people in the Cape Colony who knew anything about minerals and gems. Dr Atherstone identified it as a 21.25-carat brownish yellow diamond. It was sold for £1500 to Sir Phillip Wodehouse. The diamond was shown at the Paris Exposition in 1867 and later cut to its present form. Although Erasmus Jacobs never found another diamond, Van Niekerk was luckier. Three years later, having learned something of precious stones, he bought what became known as the Star of South Africa. |
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