How the Earth was created is a question that has long preoccupied scientists. Now, researchers at the University of Bayreuth and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology have jointly developed an innovative method that could shed light on the matter. They use ‘diamond stamp cells’ to simulate the high pressures that prevail inside our planet. In combination with magnetic lenses, this makes it possible to analyse material samples using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Their investigation of minerals and rocks in the Earth’s mantle could provide new insight into the formation of our planet.