10 gold nuggets that show that gold is stranger than you think
Gold is known for its beauty and financial value. Furthermore, the metal is not very interesting. Or is it?
Throughout history, people have used gold in bizarre ways, and modern discoveries bring some surprises as well. From a Renaissance alchemist who died full of glitter to a vast fortune floating in the sewers, here are ten strange facts about gold.
Related: Top 10 Things That Are Inherently More Valuable Than Gold
10 Fool’s Gold has real gold
The mineral pyrite is called ‘fool’s gold’ because it mimics reality so well. And for centuries, people were told that pyrite contained no gold, so just throw it away!
But in the 1980s, researchers discovered that pyrite contains two types of real gold, meaning many miners may have missed out on a fortune. The precious metal appears as pure particles or as an alloy of finely mixed gold and pyrite. A third type was discovered in 2021 – and it’s a bit strange. When pyrite is formed under extreme pressure or high temperatures, the crystal structure can develop flaws coated with gold atoms.
The amount of gold in pyrite is so small that it is not visible under standard microscopes. However, due to the abundance of fool’s gold, this resource could still become a boon to the gold industry if better extraction methods are invented.[1]
9 A huge bar of stolen gold
In 1981, construction workers in Mexico City were digging at a construction site when a man found a large gold bar. The treasure looked old and pitted and weighed about 1.93 kg. The apparent age and size suggested that the bar was an Aztec treasure, looted and melted down by the Spanish conquistadors.
On the night of June 30, 1520, the Spanish realized that an Aztec uprising was coming, and they grabbed what gold they could from Tenochtitlán (modern-day Mexico City) and fled. But one of their ships sank and many Aztec treasures were lost. What supported the idea that the rod was on the doomed ship was that it was found in the now dried up canal where the ship sank.
However, it wasn’t until 2022 that scientists were able to prove this. Tests showed that the chemical composition of the ingot was approximately 76% gold, 21% silver and 3% copper – the same fingerprint as other gold artifacts recovered from the main temple in Tenochtitlán.[2]
8 Rare gold brackets
Anne d’Alègre was an aristocrat in 17th century France. Despite moving in higher circles, her life was short and stressful. She lost two husbands and an adult son, and as a Protestant she had to hide from Catholic forces who seized her property. She died in 1619 at the age of 54.
When archaeologists discovered her coffin in 1988, they noticed wiring attached to her teeth. But it wasn’t until X-rays were taken in 2022 that scientists realized the wires were gold. The scan also showed that she had severe periodontal disease, which could be a result of her difficult life. To prevent her loose teeth from falling out – something a high-society French woman could not allow – she had her teeth bound with gold wires.
Dental work was innovative for the time, but not perfect. The brackets had to be tightened every now and then and some teeth were drilled so the wires could pass through. This destabilized her healthy teeth and likely caused her permanent excruciating pain.[3]
7 Ant nests lead to treasure
Australia relies heavily on mineral resources to support its economy. Exporting gold and other minerals earns the country $86 billion annually. However, there is a problem. All of Australia’s surface mineral deposits have been discovered. Miners now need to dig deeper, but traditional methods such as drilling are expensive and often miss their target.
A bizarre method of prospecting could help. A 2012 research paper revealed how scientists discovered high concentrations of gold in ant and termite mounds in the Western Australian goldfields. Coincidentally, the insects tunnel deep beneath their homes and bring pieces of the precious metal back to their nests.
By finding nests that store gold, miners can more accurately locate large amounts of minerals underground. This approach is also more cost-effective and environmentally friendly than knowingly digging for gold and hoping for luck.[4]
6 Gold makes wine smell better
The wine industry has a big problem. Certain winemaking methods produce aromas so terrible that they have been described as ‘rubber’ and ‘rotten eggs’. This is bad for business, as few consumers will buy wine that smells like a tire. The industry often adds copper sulfate to remedy the situation, but this is not ideal because the compound is toxic.
Recently, scientists from Australia have found a better way to remove the stench. They covered special strips with gold particles and then tested the strips on wines with high levels of volatile sulfur compounds (the cause of the bad odors). Remarkably, when the strips were left in the wine samples for 24 hours, up to 45% of harmful sulfur compounds were removed.
In addition to being fast, non-toxic and environmentally friendly, the gold filtration system can be used throughout the winemaking process as equipment and packaging can also be coated with gold nanoparticles, something that could potentially remove even more sulfur.[5]
5 This bacterium poops gold
Meet Cupriavidus metallidurans. This goober eats toxic metal compounds and excretes small gold nuggets. The microbes’ unusual ability was discovered in 2009. At the time, no one could explain how they managed to do this without dying. Nine years later, in 2018, while under the supervision of an international team of scientists, the bug made the rounds.
The bacteria live happily in the soil that would kill many other organisms, and that is a soil filled with toxic metals and hydrogen. Two of these deadly compounds are gold and copper, which quickly penetrate the bacteria and sink into their bodies, where the damage can potentially be severe.
However, C. metallidurans have an ingenious protection mechanism. They use a special enzyme to reduce the effects of the metals on their cells. It’s called CopA and makes gold and copper harder to absorb. This ensures that fewer of these metals enter the bacteria’s interior, while also allowing the organisms to excrete any unwanted materials that are absorbed, resulting in the formation of small gold nuggets on their outer surface.[6]
4 Sewerage is a gold mine
No one wants to spend too much time thinking about sewerage. But some scientists are obsessed with it. Why? Because sewage sludge is worth millions.
“Sludge” is what is left after storm drains, toilet water and industrial waste have been treated. This rubbish has always been known to contain metals, making almost half of it worthless as fertilizer and unsafe to discharge into rivers.
Looking for a solution, researchers analyzed the waste further and discovered that it was also packed with valuable metals. A city of a million people could be sitting on sludge worth between $8 and $13 million. Samples from across the US revealed that in addition to gold worth millions of dollars, other lucrative metals included silver, titanium, copper, palladium, cadmium, manganese and more.
But why are sewers filled with treasures worthy of a dragon’s lair? It is not the result of people ingesting these metals and going to the toilet. The compounds enter sewage systems as a result of manufacturing processes and disposal, mainly from mining, electronics, jewelry and automotive industries.[7]
3 Jason’s myth was based on real events
In Greek mythology, Jason was tasked with retrieving the legendary Golden Fleece from the Colchis kingdom. Researchers believe the fictional quest was based on a real journey that took place between 3,300 and 3,500 years ago. During this journey, travelers encountered villages in the Svaneti region of Georgia, near the Black Sea (where the Colchis Kingdom was located). Here they saw a local tradition that inspired the legend of Jason.
The surrounding mountains held gold, but the villagers did not have to take pickaxes to the rocks to extract the metal. Thanks to erosion, gold washed into the rivers, and locals could simply lower sheepskins into the water as ‘filters’ to catch the precious flakes as they floated downstream. These gold-filled fleeces undoubtedly fueled the legend of the Golden Fleece.
Interestingly enough, this mining method has never been abandoned. Thousands of years later, people in this region still use sheepskin to collect gold from streams.[8]
2 Plastic gold That’s real gold
Many people enjoy the beauty and prestige of wearing gold. The precious metal is used in abundance to make rings, necklaces, wristwatches and more. While gold accessories remain as popular as ever, there is one downside: the stuff is heavy.
An innovative team of scientists may have the answer. In 2020, they created gold with plastic properties, all without sacrificing its 18-carat status. This feat was achieved by creating a hybrid substance containing gold and plastic. The production process is complex, but the results are incredible. The material is about five to 10 times lighter than traditional gold, sounds like plastic when it hits the ground, glitters like gold and is malleable enough to be shaped into desired shapes.
‘Plastic gold’ is not only useful for more comfortable jewelry and watches, but apparently also suitable for applications in electronics, chemical catalysis and radiation shielding.[9]
1 This alchemist died full of gold
Tycho Brahe, born in 1546, was famous for several things. He had a pet elk. He had a fake nose (the real one was lost in a duel). Incredibly wealthy, Brahe also owned 1% of Denmark, his native country. By the time he was thirty, the Dane was touring Europe as a highly respected astronomer and alchemist.
In 2016, several hair samples showed that Brahe had 20 to 100 times more gold in his system than humans do today. The investigation concluded that he had been overexposed to the precious metal, especially during the last two months of his life. As an alchemist, gold would have been very important in his experiments, and Brahe was wealthy enough to purchase an ingot when he needed it. But how did it get into his body?
Gold was plentiful in the wealthy circles in which he moved. Brahe might have ingested it when cutlery scraped against the gold decorations on his plate or when gold was purposefully added to his food or wine, as was trendy during the Renaissance in Europe. Perhaps he consumed it during alchemy rituals. The truth is that we will never know how Brahe died full of gold. [10]