Why broken crystals are stronger

Crystals are known far and wide for their beauty and elegance. But even though they may appear perfect on the outside, their microstructure can be quite complicated, making them difficult to model mathematically. But there are people rising to the challenge. In an article published this month in Royal Society Open Science, researchers from The…

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This flat chip uses twisted light to reveal hidden images

Imagine trying to wear a left-handed glove on your right hand: it doesn’t fit because left and right hands are mirror images that can’t be superimposed on each other. This ‘handedness’ is what scientists call chirality, and it plays a fundamental role in biology, chemistry, and materials science. Most DNA molecules and sugars are right-handed,…

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