Crystals Propel Themselves Using Heat

Inanimate crystals are literally launching themselves into the air and deciding where to land based

on their molecular shape. Scientists just figured out that when you heat up

a specific amino acid, the crystals don't just sit there, they pop like corn

kernels. But the movement isn't random. It turns out these crystals have a

left-handed version and a right-handed version, just like your hands. When they get hot

and lose water, that steam shoots out of specific channels like a microscopic jet

engine. The left-handed ones launch in one direction, and the right-handed

ones jump the exact opposite way. This is actually a huge deal for science.