I only barely understand the basic concept of time crystals (a material comparable to normal crystals except that instead of breaking symmetry in space like a salt crystal or diamond, they grow and pulse on their own accord in time without needing external energy input?) so this paper in Nature Materials is waaaay over my head, but it seems remarkable that this field has gone from entirely theoretical in 2012 to “oh we can make those now, and even make them visible to the naked eye” in 2025. Even with so much awful happening in the world these days, it’s nice to have a reminder of wonder and entirely new discoveries…
