Researcher studies pounamu’s strength for possible space applications
Ph.D. candidate Natalia Seliutina is investigating why pounamu is among Earth’s toughest natural materials. Her work has taken her from Siberian temperatures to carving studios in Ōtepoti and particle accelerators in Taiwan, and a paper on the research has been published in the New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics.
Ph.D. candidate Natalia Seliutina is studying the properties of pounamu to understand why it is one of the toughest natural materials on Earth.
Her research has taken her from temperatures of -30° in Siberia to carving studios in Ōtepoti and particle accelerators in Taiwan.
Seliutina’s paper has been published in the New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics. The research could one day help inform space exploration, according to Phys.org.
THE QUESTIONS THIS EVENT LEAVES BEHIND
What specific properties make pounamu unusually resistant to damage?
Which space-exploration applications could realistically benefit from this research?
What conditions would need to be met before pounamu-inspired materials could be used beyond Earth?
How might studying a culturally significant natural material affect decisions about its use in technology?
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GLOBAL CURIOSITY MAP · AUGUST 2026