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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

A new series of experiments has shown that the mysterious "E-prime layer," which surrounds Earth's outer core, is created by water that leaks deep into our planet's interior. When you purchase through ...

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