A common fern in China (Blechnum orientale) is performing an act of geological alchemy. It is quietly building microscopic crystals of monazite, a valuable mineral packed with the rare earth elements ...

Electron microscope image of the aluminum alloy from the study. The light gray areas are sections of traditional crystals within the aluminum alloy, while the black dots are sections where NIST found ...

Crystals have always held a special place in Indian culture, not just for their beauty but for their deep spiritual and astrological significance. From ancient times, people have worn crystals or ...

Mislabeled, lab-grown, and made from plastic—fakes abound in the crystals industry. Who’s going to do anything about it? By Maddie Stone Published Sep 12, 2023 9:00 AM EDT Add Popular Science (opens ...

Archaeologists uncovered a mysterious crystal artifact buried in the underwater ruins of Cleopatra’s temple. It bears an uncanny resemblance to a man history knows well: Mark Antony, Cleopatra’s ...

When Ren Boissevain is not turning motorists’ heads in the bumpy-surfaced car he calls his rockmobile or guiding tourists through the cave beneath his shop, he can usually be found down some South ...

Researchers have found special atomic patterns called quasicrystals in 3D-printed aluminum alloys. Quasicrystals increase the strength of 3D-printed aluminum, the researchers discovered, making it ...