Dr. Max Fomitchev-Zamilov

And because that's how we think of machining. You have a cutter or an end mill, and those are metal tools. So whenever you machine, Tools ablate, and they lose bits and pieces of the metal that gets wedged into the stone, and under the electron microscope you should be able to see that. And that's what I was expecting to see. And when we looked, the samples were remarkably clean.

They were the cleanest samples I've ever seen, and that really struck me, because in my line of research I use electron microscopy a lot, in nuclear science I put my samples in it, and in my samples that come from my reactors from my experiments, I find all sorts of stuff. Like without trying, you know, all sorts of metals, all sorts of contamination.

They were the cleanest samples I've ever seen, and that really struck me, because in my line of research I use electron microscopy a lot, in nuclear science I put my samples in it, and in my samples that come from my reactors from my experiments, I find all sorts of stuff. Like without trying, you know, all sorts of metals, all sorts of contamination.

They were the cleanest samples I've ever seen, and that really struck me, because in my line of research I use electron microscopy a lot, in nuclear science I put my samples in it, and in my samples that come from my reactors from my experiments, I find all sorts of stuff. Like without trying, you know, all sorts of metals, all sorts of contamination.

And the thing for me is, because I've looked so much at various samples through electron microscope, I know they're always contaminated. So whenever somebody comes in and says, oh, we have this unobtainium on the sample, I always say it's a contamination. But when I looked at these chips that Ben brought, they were like pristine, as if they were cleaned by plasma.

And the thing for me is, because I've looked so much at various samples through electron microscope, I know they're always contaminated. So whenever somebody comes in and says, oh, we have this unobtainium on the sample, I always say it's a contamination. But when I looked at these chips that Ben brought, they were like pristine, as if they were cleaned by plasma.

And the thing for me is, because I've looked so much at various samples through electron microscope, I know they're always contaminated. So whenever somebody comes in and says, oh, we have this unobtainium on the sample, I always say it's a contamination. But when I looked at these chips that Ben brought, they were like pristine, as if they were cleaned by plasma.

Like, you know, how the heck is this possible? So I didn't find the... smoking gun of bits and pieces of cutters or end mills. But we did find a few metallic inclusions, like a piece of iron, and there was a small, like, you know, micron size, and piece of titanium, and something else I don't recall. But I cannot tell whether those are natural or artificial.

Like, you know, how the heck is this possible? So I didn't find the... smoking gun of bits and pieces of cutters or end mills. But we did find a few metallic inclusions, like a piece of iron, and there was a small, like, you know, micron size, and piece of titanium, and something else I don't recall. But I cannot tell whether those are natural or artificial.

Like, you know, how the heck is this possible? So I didn't find the... smoking gun of bits and pieces of cutters or end mills. But we did find a few metallic inclusions, like a piece of iron, and there was a small, like, you know, micron size, and piece of titanium, and something else I don't recall. But I cannot tell whether those are natural or artificial.

One piece, you know, did look like jagged. So it could have been like a chip, but I just don't have enough information. And that's another thing I would want to emphasize as we talk about, you know, scientific method.

One piece, you know, did look like jagged. So it could have been like a chip, but I just don't have enough information. And that's another thing I would want to emphasize as we talk about, you know, scientific method.

One piece, you know, did look like jagged. So it could have been like a chip, but I just don't have enough information. And that's another thing I would want to emphasize as we talk about, you know, scientific method.

So whenever you find something unusual, generally you cannot derive a conclusion about it until you do not just, you know, more studies, but your studies need to be comparative in nature. So that's why I was very keen on trying to get another chip from, let's say, this group in Russia, or from somebody who works with stone. To get a chip that was that is known that has been machined.

So whenever you find something unusual, generally you cannot derive a conclusion about it until you do not just, you know, more studies, but your studies need to be comparative in nature. So that's why I was very keen on trying to get another chip from, let's say, this group in Russia, or from somebody who works with stone. To get a chip that was that is known that has been machined.

So whenever you find something unusual, generally you cannot derive a conclusion about it until you do not just, you know, more studies, but your studies need to be comparative in nature. So that's why I was very keen on trying to get another chip from, let's say, this group in Russia, or from somebody who works with stone. To get a chip that was that is known that has been machined.

And we know what sort of tool was used to machine it. Was it like a steel tool or maybe it was a copper tool? But we know what tool it was. And then, you know, if I stick that under my SCM, I'll be able to establish a baseline. So I say, okay, well, you take granite and that granite was cut, you know, using copper saw with some emery in it.

And we know what sort of tool was used to machine it. Was it like a steel tool or maybe it was a copper tool? But we know what tool it was. And then, you know, if I stick that under my SCM, I'll be able to establish a baseline. So I say, okay, well, you take granite and that granite was cut, you know, using copper saw with some emery in it.

And we know what sort of tool was used to machine it. Was it like a steel tool or maybe it was a copper tool? But we know what tool it was. And then, you know, if I stick that under my SCM, I'll be able to establish a baseline. So I say, okay, well, you take granite and that granite was cut, you know, using copper saw with some emery in it.

Well, that gives me a baseline of how much copper I would expect to see in that cut. Or if it's, you know, another stone that's been machined using, you know, a stainless steel or some carbon steel tool, that would give me a baseline. You know, that particular stone machine, this tool, you know, how much metal should we expect? So once I have that baseline, I can do comparative analysis.