NATURAL WONDERS
Crystals: Earth’s First Living Beings
BY ANNIE LARSON
In a crystal we have clear evidence of the existence of a formative life principle, and though we cannot understand the life of a crystal, it is nonetheless a living being. ~ Nikola Tesla Our ancestors, the early hominids, engaged in collecting minerals tens of thousands of years ago. Archaeological sites show early homi- QLGVPDGHDUURZKHDGVDQGKDQGD[HVIURPÀLQWFKHUWDQGREVLGLDQ :KLOHWKHLUPRWLYDWLRQVZHUHOLNHO\SUDFWLFDOWKHLUVHOHFWLRQRIVSHFL¿F stone types shows they understood material properties. As the opening quote suggests, Nikola Tesla’s conjecture about crys- tals being living beings highlights what was his lifelong fascination with the natural world and its fundamental forces. Tesla is well known for his inventions, such as the alternating current and the Tesla coil. The renowned inventor, electrical engineer and futurist saw crystals as potential in his quest to harness energy and develop groundbreak- ing technologies. His predecessors Jacques and Pierre Curie’s work in GLVFRYHUHGTXDUW]FRXOGSURGXFHDQHOHFWULFFKDUJHXQGHUPH - FKDQLFDOVWUHVV 7HVODEHOLHYHGFU\VWDOVHVSHFLDOO\TXDUW]KDGXQLTXH properties for energy transmission and storage. 4XDUW]FU\VWDOVYLEUDWHDQGWKH\GRVRDWDYHU\SUHFLVHIUHTXHQF\ 7KLVSURSHUW\PDNHVTXDUW]FU\VWDOVJUHDWIRUWLPHNHHSLQJGHYLFHVOLNH ZDWFKHVWKDWXVHTXDUW]FU\VWDORVFLOODWRUV7KLVSUHFLVLRQLVDOVRXVHG in space travel. According to NASA, in order to know a spacecraft’s location within a small margin of error, astronomers rely on atomic FORFNVPDGHIURPDFRPELQDWLRQRITXDUW]FU\VWDOZLWKPHUFXU\DWRPV
that can measure billionths of a second. To understand more about the fascinating world of minerals, it is es- VHQWLDOWRUHFRJQL]HWKDWWKH\VHUYHDVWKHIXQGDPHQWDOEXLOGLQJEORFNV of rocks and crystals, forming the very foundation of the Earth’s geo- logical structure. They come in an astonishing variety of forms and compositions, each exhibiting its own unique characteristics such as color, hardness, luster and cleavage. This diversity results from the various environmental conditions under which they form, including WHPSHUDWXUHSUHVVXUHDQGGL̆ HUHQWFKHPLFDOHOHPHQWV4XDUW]LVWKH most common mineral on earth, and it comes in many varieties. Each YDULHW\RITXDUW]SRVVHVVHVLWVRZQVHWRISK\VLFDODQGRSWLFDOSURSHU -
18—PATHWAYS—Winter 25-26
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