Czochralski’s pulley

Jan czochralski

The inkwell accident that led to solid-state transistors

There’s an old joke that you can spot crystallographers by their beards and sandals – the facial hair provides a rich source of heterogeneous nucleation necessary to grow the gem-like crystals required. It’s a reminder of just how weird the process of crystallisation is, and the complexity that underpins an issue at once evocative and fundamental.