Scientists Found a New Type of Crystal Formed by the First Nuclear Explosion

The 1945 Trinity nuclear test didn't just change history — it created materials never seen before. Scientists recently discovered that red trinitite, a glassy substance formed by the blast, contains both a quasicrystal and a clathrate crystal coexisting in the same sample. Mathematical modeling confirmed both structures formed independently from the same explosion, offering new insight into how extreme events like nuclear blasts and meteorite impacts produce rare crystalline structures.