A group of physicists from Japan have taken to the skies to grow crystals under zero gravity.
Presenting their results today, 13 December, in the Institute of Physics and German Physical Society's New Journal of Physics, they've overcome the limitations of the laboratory to examine the peculiar dynamics of helium crystals on a much larger scale than can be achieved with ordinary materials.
Their results could help researchers reveal the fundamental physics behind the development of crystals, whilst also unveiling phenomena that are usually hidden by gravity.