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Mysterious Hidden Quantum Phase in 2D Crystals Captured by Scientists for the First Time

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This illustration represents the light-induced collapse of the nanoscale charge sequence in a 2D tantalum disulfide crystal (star shape) and the generation of a hidden metastable metal state (spherical). Credit: Frank Yi Gao The single-shot spectroscopy technique gives scientists a new understanding of the mysterious light-driven process. Harold “Doc” Edgerton, late MIT MIT stands for Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It is a prestigious private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts that was founded in 1861. It is organized into five Schools: architecture and planning; manipulation; humanities, arts, and social sciences; management; and science. MIT’s impact includes many scientific breakthroughs and technological advances. Their stated goal is to make a better world through education, research, and innovation. ” data-gt-translate-attributes=”[{” attribute=””>MIT professor, developed high-speed strobe-flash photography in the 1960s that  allowed us to visuali

Starfish Embryo Spins Into Formation Like Living Crystals

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Tiny blobs of jelly spin perfect circles in the water – their movement produces a force that attracts their neighbors. When enough of them come together, this synchronized dance aligns them into a precise six-sided, regular, repeating pattern, much like the carbon atoms in graphene’s crystal structure. But these are not atoms or any kind of inanimate object governed solely by the forces of physics – they are living, self-propelled, embryonic starfish ( patiria miniata ). The spinning starfish embryos gather into living crystals. (Tan et al., Natural 2022) “We know we have crystals of many materials, but we have never really linked crystal formation to actually living components,” said MIT physicist Nikta Fakhri. Natural . “This is a truly extraordinary phenomenon that has never been reported before.” Fakhri, MIT physicist Tzer Han Tan and colleagues studied active matter — a system in which each individual component (such as a bird in a flock, or a cell in a drop of water) uses energ

Starfish embryos swim in formations such as 'living crystals', which can inform the design of swarms of self-assembling robots

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MIT scientists have observed that when several starfish embryos spin to the surface, they are attracted to one another and spontaneously assemble into organized crystal-like structures. Credit: Courtesy of the researchers, colored by MIT News In the early stages, long before growing their signature appendages, starfish embryos resemble tiny beads, spinning in the water like miniature ball bearings. Now, MIT scientists have observed that when several starfish embryos spin onto the surface of the water, they are attracted to one another and spontaneously assemble into surprisingly organized crystal-like structures. Even more curiously, these collective “living crystals” can exhibit a peculiar elasticity, an exotic property in which the spinning of individual units—in this case, the embryo—creates much larger ripples throughout the structure. The researchers found this rippling crystal configuration can persist for a relatively long period