Scientifically speaking, the term “crystal” refers to any solid that has an ordered chemical structure. This means that its parts are arranged in a precisely ordered pattern, like bricks in a wall.

Researchers used small zircon crystals to unlock information about magmas and plate tectonic activity in early Earth. The research provides chemical evidence that plate tectonics was most likely ...

New research hints that plate tectonics began earlier than 4 billion years ago — not long after Earth had formed. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here ...

Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. A new analysis of ...

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 ...

New research is reshaping how scientists understand the earliest days of Earth’s formation—suggesting that the deep interior of our planet locked in its defining features just 100 million years after ...

Concentrated hydrogen in the galaxy’s spiral arms can be locked away in zircon crystals, providing startling clues about the ...

Scientists have a good understanding on how the moon formed, but when it formed has been harder to pin down. Crystals from the Apollo 17 mission just made things a lot easier. “These crystals are the ...

Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. Lunar dust ...

Here’s what you’ll learn when you read this story: Understanding the Earth’s journey through the Milky Way is tricky, but a new study used neutral hydrogen and zircon crystals to dig up details of ...