In its earliest stages, long before it sprouts its signature appendages, a starfish embryo resembles a tiny bead, spinning through the water like a miniature ball bearing. Now, MIT scientists have observed that when multiple starfish embryos spin up to the water’s surface, they gravitate to each other and spontaneously assemble into a surprisingly organized, crystal-like structure. Even more curious still, this collective “living crystal” can exhibit odd elasticity, an exotic property whereby the spinning of individual units — in this case, embryos — sets off much larger ripples across…
