Over the weekend I heard an acquaintance mention something called "monoatomic gold", followed by a bevy of fantastic and surprising claims about the substance, what it does, and how it was discovered.
My subsequent Google searching has returned a lot of pages with mysticism and conspiracy theories, but not much by way of solid definition. For example, my top Google hit states:
Monoatomic Gold allows subconsciously held beliefs and worries to surface and become understood... Monoatomic Gold acts upon the pituitary gland, inducing an increase in hormonal production, and is thus a rejuvenation agent. Monoatomic Gold strengthens the heart, improves the production of red blood cells in the bone marrow and increases the production of semen... It can be manufactured alchemically out of 24carat metallic gold... Monoatomic gold is not to be confused with colloidal gold either, which retains its metallic nature.
That "not to be confused with colloidal gold" rules out the one legitimate form that I figured it could be.
What is "monoatomic gold"? What is it claimed to do? Is there any scientific validity or study behind those claims?