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.

The solid inner core at the center of the Earth, surrounded by the outer core, mantle and crust. Here’s why: While it is well known that a material must be at or below its freezing temperature to be ...

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 ...

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

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 ...

Researchers discovered the earliest record of freshwater, and now crystals may lead researchers to discover when life on Earth began, a new study says. A new study, which was published inNature ...

Scientists at TU Wien (Vienna) report that an exotic quantum phenomenon appears under conditions where it would not normally ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...