New studies of the “platypus of materials” help explain how their atoms arrange themselves into orderly, but nonrepeating, patterns.

For decades, it's been known that subtle chemical patterns exist in metal alloys, but researchers thought they were too minor to matter—or that they got erased during manufacturing. However, recent ...

Engineers are turning to animal origami, from insects that tuck away wings to a protist with an accordion-like neck, for design help ...