image: Diamond anvils. The flat tips of two diamonds, the hardest known material, are compressed to ultrahigh pressure and subsequently heated by laser to ultrahigh temperature. Tateno et al. first performed X-ray diffraction measurements at high pressure and high temperature corresponding to the condition at the center of the Earth and determined the crystal structure of iron in Earth's inner core. This image relates to an article that appeared in the Oct. 15, 2010, issue of Science, published by AAAS. The study, by Dr. Shigehiko Tateno of the Tokyo Institute of Technology in Tokyo, Japan, and colleagues was titled, "The Structure of Iron in Earth’s Inner Core." view more
Credit: Image © Science/AAAS