Dislocation creates 'whirlpool' that pulls surface atoms into crystal

An archtypical example of science reporting distortion:

Any reasonable but naive observer would think they had "discovered" dislocations. A slightly less naive observer might think they had discovered prefered transport along disordered regions.

Or perhaps they discovered screw dislocations. That _is_ news! :-|

Who told they discovered dislocations? :-/

QUOTE ....found a phenomenon of dislocation-driven nucleation and growth ...

It is actually nearly impossible to tell what they found which is "new" from the Press Release.

It is consistent with what was said that they only found that dislocation stuff known for other materials was found in the materials they are studying also.

But, there is no way to tell from the Press Release what actually happened.

As Press Relations, this is a way of building a little Public Relations but then too, we can't tell if this is just a Public Relations announcement or an announcement of technical substance with original new findings, or an announcement that what has been known for other materials for a long time also happens to be true in their specific materials.

If you want to award them a prize out of your own pocket, you have my encouragement.

QUOTE

" ...found a phenomenon of dislocation-driven nucleation and growth that creates holes that spiral into a surface and pull atoms into crystalline solids"

So they have found a phenomenon that creates holes that spiral into a surface. That's the intersection of a screw dislocation with a surface.

So maybe you're right; I'm guilty of hyperbole. They didn't discover dislocations, merely that they occasionally intersect crystal surfaces.

Actually, the writing is merely piss-poor: researchers found that the site of intersection of a screw dislocation with a crystal surface, which creates a hole which spirals into the surface, can pull atoms into crystalline solids. They _writers_ have "nucleation and growth" creating holes. Sloppy writing is a sign of sloppy thinking: Strunk and White should rise from their graves and slay them.