Tiny crystals capture millions of years of mountain range history – a geologist excavates the Himalayas with a microscope

Measuring the concentration of radioactive elements in a single, sand-size crystal reveals the growth of the Himalayan mountain range over time.

Matthew J. Kohn, Professor of Geosciences, Boise State University • conversation
April 9, 2024 ~5 min

How is snow made? An atmospheric scientist describes the journey of frozen ice crystals from clouds to the ground

There are an infinite number of paths an ice crystal can take before you touch it.

Alexandria Johnson, Professor of Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Purdue University • conversation
Feb. 26, 2024 ~6 min


How do crystals form?

There are a lot of myths about crystals − for example, that they are magical rocks with healing powers. An earth scientist explains some of their amazing true science.

Natalie Bursztyn, Lecturer in Geosciences, University of Montana • conversation
Nov. 20, 2023 ~7 min

Atomic ‘hula’ turns rare-earth crystal into magnet

When the atomic lattice in a rare-earth crystal gets animated with a corkscrew-shaped vibration called a chiral phonon, the crystal becomes a magnet.

Silvia Cernea Clark-Rice • futurity
Nov. 16, 2023 ~7 min

Team uses DNA to make quasicrystal out of nanoparticles

Nanoengineers have used to DNA to create a quasicrystal, a scientifically intriguing and technologically promising material structure.

Kate McAlpine-Michigan • futurity
Nov. 13, 2023 ~7 min

Team creates heaviest Schrödinger’s cat yet

Researchers have created the heaviest Schrödinger cat to date by putting a crystal in a superposition of two oscillation states.

ETH Zurich • futurity
May 8, 2023 ~6 min

Supreme Court may halt health care guarantees for inmates

Harvard experts on law and policy say originalist view used to overturn Roe could upend the 1976 Supreme Court ruling that requires a minimal standard for inmate health care.

Christina Pazzanese • harvard
March 2, 2023 ~13 min

Team sees light make atoms ‘dance’ in perovskites

A breakthrough in visualization supports efforts to get every bit of utility out of perovskite-based materials.

Jade Boyd-Rice • futurity
Feb. 14, 2023 ~8 min


New form of ice is like a snapshot of liquid water

A collaboration between scientists at Cambridge and UCL has led to the discovery of a new form of ice that more closely resembles liquid water than any other

Cambridge University News • cambridge
Feb. 2, 2023 ~4 min

Method predicts asymmetrical edges of 2D crystals

Researchers have developed a new method that can predict the shapes of asymmetrical crystals. It's an algebraic sleight-of-hand.

Mike Williams-Rice • futurity
Nov. 30, 2022 ~7 min

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