Magic or physics? The magic stone is supposed to melt iron nails

Attention lovers of magic: what you see in this video is almost like magic.

As if by magic, the nails melted on the so-called cold stone.

The clip spread on social media, accompanied by a claim that the stone came from Afghanistan and that its surface was cold. According to the different distributors, the nails in the video are made of steel or iron.

But what’s new in the mysterious video?

The videos that show the magic stone melting steel and iron are fake.

The screws appear to be made of gallium. The melting point of the metal is 29.76 degrees Celsius. The metal is solid at room temperature, but the temperature of the human body is sufficient to melt it – for example on the palm of the hand.

The melting point of iron and steel is much higher at more than 1500 °C.

Another clue that nails are not steel or iron is the fact that the metal does not glow when it melts.

The case shows how easy it is for misleading claims, along with an appropriate video, to lead to false reports. A warm stone becomes a magical thing that melts iron.

How do we screen videos for manipulation in the editorial office? It is important to look at the details. Single frames of a video often reveal whether a video has been edited. We take a closer look at each photo and expand the individual sections. Indications for counterfeiting are, for example: lack of motion blur, unnatural shadows or errors in cutting. In the rear, the general rule is: seriousness over speed. We always double-check the facts and materials carefully before posting them. To do this, we work with a multi-editing “Verification Team” along with RTL, NTV, RTL2 and Radio NRW.