It's been discovered that you create the very same substance those Ruskis won the Nobel prize for out of household sugar. Borrow a cup from your neighbour, and get baking the world's hardest substance. No, not your Mom's scones. Graphene.
Rice University researchers are responsible for making the startling discovery, which could cut down greenhouse gas emissions and save money too. We already know that graphene (carbon atoms arranged in 2 dimensional linked hexagons) is the strongest (and thinnest) substance known to man, and importantly can conduct electricity. We can look forward to it replacing valuable copper and silicon—and if it's made from normal table sugar, then that's just doubly sweet. [Reuters]
DISCUSSION
Considering the advances with graphene as of late, I figure by this time next year I'll be able to make the stuff in my kitchen and dump it into my 3D printer and print out custom pencils ... that are so hard they don't write and cannot be sharpened. Nevermind.