The conventional wisdom has always been that no two snowflakes are alike, until a physicist named Kenneth G. Libbrecht created nearly-identical "twin snowflakes" out of ice crystals in his lab at the California Institute of Technology.　

Since each snowflake faces a different turbulent path through the atmosphere, each twist, turn and fall grants it a unique symmetry. But if you subtract nature’s volatility from the equation, then these icy flowers are no longer guaranteed uniqueness.

(Photo/California Institute of Technology)

Dr. Libbrecht found that by placing two crystal seeds next to each other and growing them under the exact same conditions, he could create two snowflakes with nearly the same intricate shapes and patterns.

"I started calling them identical twins because they are like identical people," he said. "They are too similar to just happen by chance, but not absolutely precisely identical to the last molecule."

By adjusting the temperature and humidity he can manipulate their designs, creating a vast array of patterns. He photographs them with the help of a microscope that is specially designed to capture tiny snow crystals.

(Photo/California Institute of Technology)

At minus 10 degrees Celsius he can create frozen flowers with flat plates. And at minus 2 degrees Celsius he can make triangular snow crystals. If he grows the crystals under high humidity levels, eccentric side branches emerge.

To his surprise, Dr. Libbrecht also found that lab-grown snowflakes don’t actually grow along the glass surface but sprout like mushrooms with microscopic nubs that support flat pedestals of ice. He could grow synthetic snowflakes from between 15 minutes and an hour.

"We haven’t violated any laws of physics," he said of his "identical twins." 'We just found a loophole."