Category Archives: Crystal Edges

Louis Vuitton’s Two Dimensional Crystal

Summary: Symmetrical motifs are used in a whimsical way by the world of fashion to convey subliminal messages. The fashion world may not be familiar with the scientific notion of ‘symmetry’. Yet, the most dominant concept in most of their

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Passing the Torch

One of the pleasures of growing older and ‘respectable’ in the scientific community is the opportunity of discussing the history of our subjects with the younger generations.  As an enthusiastic crystallographer  and scientist, I do like very much to pass

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Tribute to a Friend: Antonio Castellanos Mata

La partida de un amigo entrañable Antonio Castellanos Mata ha sido y siempre será mi amigo mas entrañable de la juventud y de los años que han seguido. Nuestra amistad nació y se cultivó en Valladolid, durante los años de

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Connecting Music, Literature and Architecture: A CSO concert.

It is a rare opportunity to be present at the world premiere of any artistic event and particularly the interpretation of a music that has never been heard before. As part of my subscription to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO)

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The Crystallized Melon of St. Elijah

I cannot resist writing a concise  commentary and discussion of a brief article by Prof. Juan Manuel García Ruíz  (Research Professor at the CSIC in Granada, Spain) in a recent issue of the widely read Spanish Newspaper ‘El País’. His

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The Rose Windows of Gothic Cathedrals: Art, Symmetry and Beyond

 The meeting of the International Year of Crystallography in Montreal (IUCr2014 23rd Congress), Aug. 5-12, 2014 was an excellent opportunity to meet with friends and fellow crystallographers from all over the world. It was also an unique opportunity to be

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Crystallography on Stage: Presenting the Concepts and History Dramatically

The meeting of the International Year of Crystallography in Montreal (IUCr2014 23rd Congress), Aug. 5-12, 2014 was an excellent opportunity to meet with friends and fellow crystallographers from all over the world. It was also an unique opportunity to be

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D-Day and Crystallography

The events of June 6, 1944 and the ending  of WWII in the European front are all very well known. The press and  the electronic media will cover them in detail. However, in the context of the International Year of

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The Ballad of the 2.8 Ångstroms Structure of SBMV

The celebration of the International Year of Crystallography (IYCr2014) has prompted me to remember the celebration of a remarkable achievement of the early years of macromolecular crystallography, just twenty years after the first protein structures  (the two globins: myogoblin and

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The brilliance of modern stained glass windows

Little did I know that after my essay on the meaning of symmetry on the cathedral rose windows, I will be writing another brief posting soon thereafter on a related theme.  However, it just so happened that on Friday, April

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