The constituents of the earth are simple in that 92 elements, which occur naturally among all existing 118 elements, make up all the materials around us. However, our world is also very complex because almost unlimited types of matters (especially crystals and molecules) can be formed by combining these elements in different spatial arrangements following different symmetries. In this respect, silicon carbide is unique as it has over two hundred crystalline forms and some polytypes of silicon carbide have even been identified from presolar grains in meteorites. Silicon carbide is a family of wide bandgap semiconductors with excellent electric and electronic characteristics that bode well for applications in high-temperature, high-frequency, and high-power electronic devices. Moreover, silicon carbide is a superhard ceramic having a small density as well as superior thermal and mechanical properties. It is environmentally friendly and biocompatible, thus having many potential applications in energy, biomedical engineering, and medicine. Last but not least, both silicon and carbon are extremely abundant on earth and SiC can be produced economically, a big advantage compared to materials composed of noble metals and rare-earth elements.