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CRYSTAL NUCLEATION "is the initiation of a phase change in a small region, such as the formation of a solid crystal from a liquid solution. It is a consequence of rapid local fluctuations on a molecular scale in a homogeneous phase that is in a state of metastable equilibrium." https://lnkd.in/eMnXY6A View in LinkedIn

"THE BIRTH OF A CRYSTAL —the so-called nucleation process—is one of the most fascinating problems in protein crystallization...the mechanisms leading to the formation of clusters of molecules displaying translational and rotational order have their own rules completely different from those of crystal growth." https://lnkd.in/eDMAEEh View in LinkedIn

ORDER FROM DISORDER. "Crystals are paradigmatic examples of long-range-ordered structures obtained through a self-assembly process via a first-order phase transition that starts from a disordered state, such as a liquid or a gas. The initial stage of a crystallization process, nucleation, is the fundamental and yet not well understood phenomenon leading to the formation of an embryonic structure with crystal-like properties." https://lnkd.in/enRrMvs View in LinkedIn

FORBIDDEN CRYSTAL SYMMETRY, by Oxford's eccentric and brilliant Sir Roger Penrose. While rigorous mathematical theory suggests that crystal symmetry can only go to 6-fold, symmetry forms up to 12-fold have been described. And, 5-fold and 12-fold crystal forms do occur in nature. https://lnkd.in/eHBgHXN View in LinkedIn

"FLEXICRYSTALLOGRAPHY structure and symmetry properties of about 50 periodic minimal-energy surfaces, and how they allow one to transcend the boundary of traditional crystallography and the 230 classic space groups, to encompass periodic curved surfaces found in soft structures such as liquid crystal mesophases and biological assemblies." New thinking. https://lnkd.in/eY-FGha View in LinkedIn

CLASSICAL CRYSTAL UNIVERSE. "By considering what type of symmetry a mineral species possesses, the species may be categorized as a member of one of six crystal systems and one of thirty-two crystal classes." Old thinking. https://lnkd.in/eBPA9ua View in LinkedIn

SELF-ORGANIZATION. "Atoms self-organize in crystals, most of the time. The crystalline lattice, is a periodic array of the atoms. When the solid is not crystalline, it is called amorphous. Examples of crystalline solids are metals, diamond and other precious stones, ice, graphite. Examples of amorphous solids are glass, amorphous carbon (a-C), amorphous Si, most plastics." https://lnkd.in/epuMuJA View in LinkedIn

BIOLOGICAL SELF-ASSEMBLY. "Molecular self assembly is the spontaneous association of molecules under equilibrium conditions into stable, structurally well-defined aggregates joined by non-covalent bonds. Molecular self-assembly is ubiquitous in biological systems, and underlies the formation of a wide variety of complex biological structures." Driven by life. https://lnkd.in/eD56xUk View in LinkedIn

STRUCTURED WATER. "One other important factor worth discussing is the role of water. It has recently been realized that the structuring of water molecules around ions, molecules, and colloid-sized particles in dissolved state is an important factor in the thermodynamics of phase transitions in solution." https://lnkd.in/eVX4ANS View in LinkedIn

THE TRANSITION from inanimate atoms to the creation of life has confounded scientists for a long time. Vitalism proposed that life could only be created from pre-existing life, but the stunning experiments of Craig Venter suggests this may not be true, when four bottles of innate chemicals rebooted an otherwise replicant deficient cell sack. Inanimate matter has powerful self-assembly properties. The giant question of the transition from innate AI to some type of intelligence. View in LinkedIn