The wonders of gold: 15 little-known facts

Gold is known all over the world as a reliable financial asset, a key element in the technological industry, a material used in jewelry and works of art. Yet this is not all that can be said about gold.

Let's unlock the most interesting secrets of gold and learn 15 amazing facts about this precious metal.

Do you know that:

1. The origin of gold is still a mystery. Some scientists believe that the precious metal was formed as a result of chemical processes on Earth. In recent years, the theory prevails that gold was brought from space. According to one version, gold originated deep within the ancient stars that exploded and later scattered it throughout the universe.

2. The largest quantity of molten gold is concentrated in the Earth’s core. If the planet was covered in metal, its layer would be 1,5 meters thick.

3. In the entire history of mankind, nearly 200000 tons of gold have been mined. A giant cube cast from such a quantity of metal would reach the height of a six-story building. Having melted all this gold, we would be able to fill three fifty-meter-long Olympic pools.

4. The biggest gold nugget was found in Australia in 1872. With a total weight of 235,5 kilograms, the specimen contained 83,2 kilograms of gold. The discovered object was called the “Holtermann Nugget”.

In the photo: the “Holtermann Nugget” is the largest gold nugget ever found.

5. Gold can be found not only in the ground, but also in the water. Every liter of salt or fresh water accounts for nearly 0,02 milligrams of gold.

6. The human body contains 0,2 milligrams of gold on average — mainly in bones and blood. The role of gold in the human body has not been fully explored. Scientists believe that gold contributes to the maintenance of immunity.

7. There are bacteria that absorb toxic metals from the soil and turn them into microscopic grains of gold.

8. Gum trees can help in the search of gold deposits. Australian scientists have discovered that the eucalyptus leaves that grow above the gold-bearing veins contain tiny particles of the noble metal.

9. Due to the exceptional malleability of gold, sewing threads can be made from it. A troy ounce of gold (31,1 grams) can be pulled into an 80-kilometers-long thread, which is the size of 800 football fields.

In the photo: a dress made of gold threads, sewn by a Japanese woman Ginza Tanaka. The weight of this piece of clothing is a little over one kilogram, and the price — $245000.

10. The rarity of gold clearly demonstrates one fact: globally, every hour more steel is cast at steel mills as opposed to mined gold of all time.

11. You can extract 280 grams of gold from one ton of old cell phones. By contrast, a ton of gold ore contains from 0,3 to 5 grams of gold on average.

12. Some people suffer from aurophobia — the fear of gold. They experience panic, dizziness, bounding pulse and shortness of breath just by looking at gold objects. Fortunately, such a phobia is a highly rare phenomenon.

13. Gold is edible. The French people add the finest particles of gold to the best varieties of champagne, while the Britons cover the cakes with an edible gold foil. However, India outdid them all — nearly 12 tons of gold are eaten annually. Hindus decorate traditional holiday pastries with gold and add gold flakes to chocolate candies.

In the photo: Frrrozen Haute Chocolate is the world's most expensive ice cream dessert that costs $25000. It takes five grams of gold to make it.

14. Ice cream aficionados use golden spoons to get rid of other metals’ taste.

15. The company LEGO that produces construction sets for kids highly rewards its employees who have worked at the company for 25 years. They receive a gift: a 25,65-gram golden brick that replicates the design of the famous LEGO toy block.

Throughout the centuries, gold never ceases to amaze people, having become the object of new discoveries, experiments and fascinating stories. One can only guess what surprises gold will bring in the future, and how it will affect its price.

Nowadays, gold continues to serve as an effective insurance against economic shocks. Courtesy of gold, every inhabitant of the Earth can improve personal financial status and strengthen Financial Security.

THE VALUE OF GOLD YESTERDAY AND TODAY