Physicists discover strange spinning crystals that behave like living matter

Science DailyCenterEN 3 min read 100% complete October 21, 2025 at 02:36 PM

AI Summary

medium article 3 min

Physicists from universities in Germany and the USA have discovered that crystals made of rotating particles can exhibit behaviors similar to living matter. These "transverse interaction" systems display unique properties such as splitting into fragments, forming unusual grain boundaries, and showing controllable structural defects. The study, published in PNAS, presents a theoretical framework predicting new characteristics of these materials. Notably, these odd elastic crystals twist rather than stretch when pulled and can disintegrate and reassemble autonomously. The research team led by Professor Dr. Zhi-Feng Huang from Wayne State University and Professor Dr. Hartmut Löwen from Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf developed a multiscale theoretical model to describe the behavior of these materials, revealing potential technological applications.

Key Topics & Entities

Detroit 30% Mainz 30% US ×230% Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 30% Düsseldorf ×240% Aachen 40% Massachusetts Institute of Technology 50% Wayne State University 60% Hartmut Löwen 80%

Keywords

rotating crystals 100% odd elasticity 90% transverse interaction systems 85% structural defects 70% theoretical framework 65% biological systems 60% starfish embryos 55% multiscale theoretical model 50% crystal growth 45% proceedings of the national academy of sciences (pnas) 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Positive

Score: 0.40

Source Transparency

Source

Science Daily

Political Lean

Center (0.00)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

Aachen

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

Topic Connections

Explore how the topics in this article connect to other news stories

No topic relationship data available yet. This graph will appear once topic relationships have been computed.

rotating crystals odd elasticity transverse interaction systems structural defects theoretical framework biological systems starfish embryos multiscale theoretical model crystal growth proceedings of the national academy of sciences (pnas)

Explore Full Topic Graph