Self-assembly at all scales

Self-assembly is the autonomous organization of components into patterns or structures without human intervention. Self-assembling processes are common throughout nature and technology. They involve components from the molecular (crystals) to the planetary (weather systems) scale and many different kinds of interactions. The concept of self-assembly is used increasingly in many disciplines, with a different flavor and emphasis in each.     

Chemistry. Close encounters

No chemical reaction can take place without a collision between atoms or molecules. State-of-the-art experimental and theoretical techniques are providing ever more detailed insights into how such collisions proceed. In his Perspective, Crim highlights the report by Lorenz et al., who have succeeded in determining not only the amount but also the sense of rotation of NO molecules after collision with argon atoms. The results can only be explained when subtle quantum mechanical effects are considered.