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.

Crystals -- from sugar and table salt to snowflakes and diamonds -- don't always grow in a straightforward way. Researchers have now captured this journey from amorphous blob to orderly structures. In ...

Looking for a unique gift or ornament for the holiday season? Follow along with ABC11 Science Club with BASF and discover how to use a few household items to create a beautiful crystal snowflake!

Gabriela Farfan, the Smithsonian's curator of gems and minerals, answers the internet's burning questions about gemstones. Are all minerals crystals? How are diamonds cut? How do geodes form? Is the ...

CRYSTAL PARK, Mont. — Molten granite formed the Pioneer Mountain Range in southwest Montana about 72-million years ago. As the granite cooled, water carried quartz and other minerals through the rocks ...

A discovery of ancient rocks might finally answer one of the biggest questions in science: how did the Moon form? Researchers have uncovered chemical clues from 3.7-billion-year-old feldspar crystals ...

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 ...