By heating carbon to an intimidating 1,000 degrees Celsius (1,800 degrees Fahrenheit), scientists have discovered a brand new elemental form that's ultra-strong and ultra-light, but also elastic like rubber and electrically conductive.

This new form of carbon not only offers up a range of extraordinary properties - the method used to find it could lead to the discovery of entire classes of materials we've never seen before.

As the fourth most abundant element in the Universe, and the second most abundant in our bodies (after oxygen), carbon isn't just the key component of much of life on Earth.

When it comes to its physical properties, there are few elements as diverse as carbon.

Certain atomic configurations will result in the soft, slippery form of graphite, but arrange it another way, and you'll get diamond - one of the hardest materials on the planet.