As hard as diamond and as flexible as plastic, highly sought-after diamond nanothreads would be poised to revolutionize our world — if they weren’t so difficult to make. Recently, a team of scientists developed an original technique that predicts and guides the ordered creation of strong, yet flexible, diamond nanothreads, surmounting several existing challenges. The innovation will make it easier for scientists to synthesize the nanothreads — an important step toward applying the material to practical problems in the future.