Pressing 'pause' on nature's crystal symmetry

From snowflakes to quartz, nature's crystalline structures form with a reliable, systemic symmetry. Researchers who study the formation of crystalline materials have shown that it's now possible to control how crystals grow - including interrupting the symmetrical growth of flat crystals and inducing them to form hollow crystal spheres. The discovery is part of a broader design effort focused on the encapsulation of medicine for targeted drug treatments.