14 DAY TRIAL // Brainiacs working with CSIRO (the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization) have rolled out a new method of pinning down gold hidden inside ore samples.
Long story short, the scientists claim that, when pointed at an ore sample, high energy X-rays “activate” the gold and make it visible to a highly sensitive detector.
The method is called gamma-activation analysis, or GAA.
Interestingly enough, these high-energy X-rays aren't all that different from the ones used by doctors whenever they wish to see what is happening inside a patient's body, sources tell us.
Scientists maintain that, unlike the traditional chemical analysis methods presently used by companies working in the gold mining industry, this one is both fast and accurate.
According to Dr. James Tickner, such companies presently recover just 65-85% of the gold contained in mined rock.
Should they agree to switch to gamma-activation analysis, their current losses could be reduced by about 30%.
Dr. James Tickner and his colleagues expect that their GAA method could also serve to detect silver, lead, zinc, tin, copper and other metals.