Ice crystals – News, Research and Analysis – The Conversation

If you catch a snowflake, take a moment to look at it: It’s a formation no one has ever seen before. (Damian McCoig/Unsplash)

January 12, 2023

How do snowflakes form? Is each snowflake really unique? Why is some snow light and fluffy or heavy? The amazing science of snow

Krystopher Chutko, University of Saskatchewan

Molecule by molecule, a snowflake grows and eventually begins to fall. A scientific look at the amazing nature of snowflakes and snow.

Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland features around 40,000 exposed polygonal columns of basalt in perfect horizontal sections. Chris Hill/Photodisc via Getty Images

September 19, 2022

Why does nature create patterns? A physicist explains the molecular‑level processes behind crystals, stripes and basalt columns

Maxim Lavrentovich, University of Tennessee

Nature begins forming patterns at the molecular level – and sometimes they grow to enormous sizes.

Americans throw away around $5.89 billion worth of frozen food a year. E+ via Getty Images

August 16, 2021

‘Freezer burn’ is a serious problem – preventing ice recrystallization may alleviate it

Tong (Toni) Wang, University of Tennessee

Scientists are looking for safe new ways to prevent ice from damaging food in frozen storage, which costs consumers billions of dollars a year in wasted food.

Permafrost is thawing across the Arctic, releasing microbes and organic materials that have been trapped in the frozen ground for thousands of years. NOAA via Wikimedia Commons

January 28, 2021

Thawing permafrost is full of ice‑forming particles that could get into atmosphere

Jessie Creamean, Colorado State University and Thomas Hill, Colorado State University

New research shows that permafrost contains huge amounts of particles that make it easier for cloud moisture to freeze. Thawing permafrost is releasing these ice-nucleating particles.

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