Nearly 80 years after the event, trinitite still has the power to amaze.

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.

Samples of "trinitite" created during the world’s first nuclear bomb test in 1945 contain unique crystals never seen before.

The only well-exposed color image of the Trinity test. (Jack W. Aeby/Manhattan Project/Public Domain) We don't always get to pinpoint the exact moment the world changes. But when the New Mexico dawn ...

Crystals might look simple, but their growth tells a far more complex and fascinating story. From grains of salt to diamonds, crystals form when particles lock into repeating patterns. For many years, ...

Conventional crystals are materials in which atoms arrange themselves in repeating spatial patterns. Time crystals, on the other hand, are phases of matter characterized by repeating motions over time ...

Crystals—from sugar and table salt to snowflakes and diamonds—don’t always grow in a straightforward way. New York University researchers have captured this journey from amorphous blob to orderly ...