How starfish embryos become living crystals

Physicists have been amazed by the complex system created by simple starfish embryos in a dish of water. For the first time, a multicellular organism has been observed naturally creating a crystalline structure - and one with unexpected properties. This is an area of physics called ’active matter’ - and these starfish demonstrate the latest, surprising example. Read the paper: For more stories like these sign up for the Nature Briefing: An essential round-up of science news, opinion and analysis, free in your inbox every weekday: