Sparkling hollows filled with lustrous crystals, dubbed geodes, are often perceived as small objects that can fit comfortably on a bookshelf. But some are more like gigantic cathedrals filled with ...

Oscillators may use crystals as precise tuned circuits. If you have a vector network analyzer (VNA) — or even some basic test equipment — you can use it to learn the parameters of a crystal.

Snow. It's made up of tiny ice crystals that can transform into a variety of intricate symmetrical patterns forming a beautiful snowflake. Have you ever wondered how snowflakes form? Did you know ...

Martina Gutfreund knew it could be hard to make a living mining crystals. Still, she was shocked to discover, on a recent trip to Namibia’s mineral-rich Erongo region, that her purchase of 250 ...

Crystals -- from sugar and table salt to snowflakes and diamonds -- don't always grow in a straightforward way. Researchers have now captured this journey from amorphous blob to orderly structures.