Inside a tiny beaker of water Harvard scientist Wim L. Noorduin has managed to coax chemicals into beautiful and delicate microscopic flowers. On a micron scale he and his colleagues have produced arrangements of crystals that resemble natural forms from roses to broad leaves… and the kicker? They self-assembled! That’s right, these aren’t just pretty pictures from an electron microscope, but a new look at how structures form chemically in nature. [Read more...]