Explaining complex metals with polymers

Analogies and metaphors are widespread in science. We use them to convey difficult concepts to colleagues or when popularizing science to communicate with the general public. Analogies also form an integral part of the scientific process itself (1). Some may even say that science is all about finding analogies between seemingly different phenomena, organizing them using unifying abstract concepts and common models, thereby generalizing these concepts and advancing their understanding. In PNAS, Lee et al. (2) draw a surprising analogy between the principles that govern the formation of ordered phases in soft-matter systems consisting of micelle-forming block copolymers (3), and those underlying the formation of hard solid-state metallic crystals.

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