It is at the very core of revealing the structure of DNA, fabricating computer memories and designing potent new drugs, but only a tiny fraction of the world's people are aware of the science of crystallography, a knowledge gap the United Nations hopes to help erase this year.
At the Paris headquarters of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) next Monday, the International Year of Crystallography will be formally launched, followed by three regional summit meetings - in Karachi, Pakistan, from 28 to 30 April; Campinas, Brazil, from 21 to 24 September; and Bloemfontein, South Africa, from 15 to 17 October.
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