Complexity from Simplicity
Very Fine Art: Stunningly Beautiful Microscale Sculptures

Artists and material scientists alike bend, melt and mold materials into useful and aesthetically pleasing forms. But nothing human hands have made can match the intricacy of convoluted corals or the delicate and unique geometry of a snowflake. In work reported in Science (May 17, 2013), Aizenberg, Mahadevan, and coworkers exploited nature's sculpting methods to create visually stunning 3-D structures that may change the way nano- and micro-materials are made. This MRSEC research has also been featured on the Boston Globe, NBC News, ABC News, Le Monde, Scientific American, Chemical and Engineering News, National Geographic, Wired, and Chemistry World. (Contribution from Luciana Gravotta).