 This is man. Since the dawn of time, man has chased after many things. But of all his pursuits, none have been as peculiar as his quest for a shiny mineral called gold. Universally recognized as a sign of wealth and power, gold has held significance in society throughout history. The Incas called it the tears of the sun. The Egyptians considered it the flesh of the gods. Even Plato thought it was some form of water and sunlight. Gold's link to the sun and the heavens above is shared between many cultures. This connection to the cosmos may be more than just ancient thought. Modern physicists believe that gold atoms are forged in gigantic exploding stars known as supernovas. Theoretically when the earth was just a glob of rock, these massive explosions sent particles across the universe and seeded our world with gold deposits throughout its crust and core. Areas of the earth with high seismic activity serve as collection points where the element can be exploited. And exploited he has. Ever since man first gazed upon gold's beauty, war has been waged for it. Societies built on it and entire civilizations destroyed under it. So what's the big deal about this shiny bit of metal anyhow? Besides its aesthetic allure, gold holds many intriguing properties. For one, it is quite limited despite having been mined for thousands of years. To this day, only 175,000 tons of it have been unearthed. Gold is also resistant to corrosion and is extremely malleable because it is easy to mold and retains its purity over time. Gold is portable, permanent and desirable, a concept which gave rise to the idea of money. More recently, gold is used for its high conductivity and circuit boards. And is valued in space programs for its ability to reflect a broad spectrum of light rays. Today, in the global economy, gold still serves as a means of international standardization. As a hard asset, it is widely used to safeguard against unstable markets, making it a reliable tool in world trade. Like gold itself, our lust for this precious metal will be around for a long time to come. So remember, that very ring on your finger may be the same gold worn by the pharaohs themselves.