Dan Shechtman Proved Quasicrystal Critics

In 1982, Israeli materials scientist Dan Shechtman discovered quasiperiodic crystals, later known as quasicrystals, but other scientists mocked the idea. Nobel Prize-winning chemist Linus Pauling dismissed the discovery by saying, "There is no such thing as quasicrystals, only quasi-scientists." Shechtman kept defending his evidence, and in 2011, he won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the discovery.

Previous Fact Next Fact