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Classical crystallography consists of the study of those atomic assemblies which can be generated by the function GROUP (MOTIF) => PATTERN. We are now concerned with the more general pattern-generating function: PROGRAM (MOTIF) => STRUCTURE, which requires us to look into the concept of INFORMATION in which the PROGRAM is written. Some structures may contain their own PROGRAMS where the information is represented as a material structure. Inorganic and living matter are part of a continuous spectrum of organisation.
- Alan L. Mackay, Generalised Crystallography (1986, Pergamon Press)