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landlord2213 OP t1_j76q9dd wrote

Researchers at University College London and the University of Cambridge have discovered a new type of ice that more closely resembles liquid water than any other known ices and that may rewrite our understanding of water and its many anomalies.

The newly discovered ice is amorphous — that is, its molecules are in a disorganized form, not neatly ordered as they are in ordinary, crystalline ice. Amorphous ice, although rare on Earth, is the main type of ice found in space. That is because, in the colder environment of space, ice does not have enough thermal energy to form crystals.

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Pterodactyl_midnight t1_j77yig2 wrote

“To find the loosely structured, Goldilocks-density ice, the team shook ordinary water ice in a jar crammed with steel balls, cooled to about -376 degrees Fahrenheit (-200 Celsius.) The method is called ball milling and is a way of breaking up molecules using mechanical forces. The principle is simple: As the balls crash against the ice, the latter is pulverized. As a result, MDA looks like white powder; though it is a solid, it has the molecular composition of liquid water.”

“MDA had a final quirk: When the material recrystallized into ordinary water ice, it released a large amount of heat. The researchers believe the discovery could have geophysical implications for ice on the surfaces of frozen moons like Europa, to which NASA is scheduled to launch an orbiter in 2024.”

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Kimorin t1_j78fr02 wrote

why does it just sound like they made crushed ice? lol

also if it's the most common type of ice in space, how can we just discover it now?

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tomistruth t1_j78u2hz wrote

Because you don't get funding if you call it crushed ice.

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Half_Man1 t1_j79lucv wrote

It’s literally not crushed ice.

Crushed ice is just small bits of crystalline ice.

This isn’t crystalline at all. It’s amorphous. So rather than the molecules lining up in a repeat unit like nice little toy soldiers, they’re all over the place like flash mob on pcp.

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Pterodactyl_midnight t1_j7edb6n wrote

Saying it’s “crushed ice” makes these scientists sound like bartenders.

Yes, It is literally “crushed ice,” the same way playing video games is just electrons moving around. Using reductionist language detracts from the true meaning.

It’s solid ice with liquid structure. That’s a big deal. This is extremely rare on Earth, so being able to create & study it in a lab can give us more insight into how matter works off planet.

Not only water, but other transformations of matter in the universe. It’s another step toward understanding the cosmos and y’all are thinking they want funding for Mojitos. Idiocracy continues.

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Half_Man1 t1_j79mm0l wrote

It’s different from regular ice. It doesn’t have crystalline structure like you can find in all other ice forms on Earth.

In space, it could flash freeze under a low pressure and at a faster rate possible than normally achievable in a lab.

Normally water has to crystallize as it becomes solid. The liquid gets cold enough and you have crystals nucleate out and then all the rest of the molecules will fall in line over time. It’s pretty common to see online people mess with this thermodynamic process and make “flash freezing” water where basically the first crystal just hasn’t nucleated yet, since it needs a little kinetic push. So it stays a liquid until suddenly boom one crystal nucleates out it immediately freezes.

This ice is like there is no crystal that nucleates, and the water just… freezes anyway. Which is not a stable state thermodynamically speaking.

It’s like forcing all these molecules in a horribly close and weird arrangement and just keeping them there.

Crushed ice is just crushed ice. Idk where you’re getting that from.

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Kimorin t1_j79mxap wrote

>The method is called ball milling and is a way of breaking up molecules using mechanical forces. The principle is simple: As the balls crash against the ice, the latter is pulverized. As a result, MDA looks like white powder

it's this ^

but thanks for the explanation

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thisplacemakesmeangr t1_j7b05if wrote

It is regular ice. We just have the gravity/heat assisted version

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Half_Man1 t1_j7b6qvc wrote

At this point, this is a silly semantic debate over what counts at “regular”.

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thisplacemakesmeangr t1_j7b8lsj wrote

I'd argue that the definition of regular is by total amount in the universe, you'd argue that there's no people out there to give a reference for regular, then we'd get coffee. Speed run

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Zetavu t1_j7beced wrote

How much space ice have we collected and examines in space itself? Not much at all. We've sent a probe to a comet, have probes looking at potential ice on mars, everything else is satellites scanning or telescopes. Those look at chemical structure, not crystalline structure.

That said, water RELEASES heat when turning to ice, you know, phase change - http://www.atmo.arizona.edu/students/courselinks/fall16/atmo336s2/lectures/sec1/water.html it releases 80 cal/g to freeze, why is the article (or rather whoever put up the quote at the top) saying it needs to absorb thermal energy to freeze? This is why when you have a freak frost, you water plants and roses, as water freezes it releases energy which insulates plants and protects them from damage. That quote at the top about thermal energy sounds reversed and is not in the linked article, and I have not read the complete article since its behind a paywall, but someone needs to call BS on that statement or clarify it.

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Half_Man1 t1_j79lld8 wrote

That’s so cool that this exists, but it’s not surprising crystallization releases heat. That’s an exothermic process.

Makes me think of amorphous metals.

Haven’t looked at those things though since a material science recruitment demo where we bounced a rubber ball off one. (Amorphous structure absorbs less kinetic energy than a crystalline one so you get way more bounce off an amorphous metal surface than a crystalline one, which looks real weird)

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[deleted] t1_j76vrs3 wrote

Oh man, this is so coming to the Ocean City, NJ boardwalk as a snowcone you can drink through a straw (BYOB rum additive, of course)

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Shodan30 t1_j78oqvw wrote

Pretty sure we already called this slush.

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[deleted] t1_j798kiy wrote

“NEW PHASE OF ICE!! Give me your $$$$,” said American capitalism.

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Shodan30 t1_j7a3jm9 wrote

eh..not really a capitalism thing, more of a 'okay so our funding is drying up... Lets go with 'we've discovered a new form of gas, and need about 30 million to properly investigate these farts....erh....new gaseous state molocules. '

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Gilded-Mongoose t1_j7991gm wrote

The Space Slushies when we get to Mars are going to be out of this world

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Good-Advantage-9687 t1_j77xe73 wrote

What are the implications for beer, soda and other cold drinks?🧋🍺

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jaslich t1_j787e9r wrote

These are the important questions!

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neverendingchalupas t1_j79cxww wrote

I already make this in my freezer if I leave an undisturbed soda water in there. I take it out and it slowly turns to slush before my eyes.

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quantumgpt t1_j78o5cd wrote

Odd question. Can amorphous ice become normal ice under any circumstance without becoming liquid first?

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danielv123 t1_j78v788 wrote

It can apparently recrystalize into normal ice, releasing heat while doing so.

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AllGodsRTricksters t1_j79uh2z wrote

if amorphous ice releases heat as it crystallizes, wouldn't harvesting it for water also provide an energy source?
Space tea now with self heating water !

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ThePenguinKing27 t1_j7b7m7q wrote

As soon as you get used to the old ice they come up with something new

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FuturologyBot t1_j76ven2 wrote

The following submission statement was provided by /u/landlord2213:

Researchers at University College London and the University of Cambridge have discovered a new type of ice that more closely resembles liquid water than any other known ices and that may rewrite our understanding of water and its many anomalies.

The newly discovered ice is amorphous — that is, its molecules are in a disorganized form, not neatly ordered as they are in ordinary, crystalline ice. Amorphous ice, although rare on Earth, is the main type of ice found in space. That is because, in the colder environment of space, ice does not have enough thermal energy to form crystals.

Please reply to OP's comment here: https://old.reddit.com/r/Futurology/comments/10thsiz/new_form_of_ice_discovered_may_shake_up_our/j76q9dd/

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Stealthy_Snow_Elf t1_j7kszz3 wrote

New form of water? No! 😤

New form of slushy? Hell yeah, Brother

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Tommyd023 t1_j78af17 wrote

Good thing we know for sure climate science is settled

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