4 hours ago
Last Updated:July 08, 2025, 12:08 IST
New UK-led research finds that some space ice forms crystals, challenging long-held beliefs that it’s entirely amorphous and disordered
This study, published in the journal 'Physical Review B', shows that water, one of the universe’s most abundant substances, still holds secrets yet to be fully understood. (News18)
It was long believed that ice formed in the freezing vacuum of space was entirely amorphous, meaning it lacked any ordered structure. However, new research led by scientists from University College London (UCL) and the University of Cambridge has overturned this assumption.
Their findings reveal that some ice in space actually forms with a crystalline structure, challenging decades of scientific thinking.
How Was The Research Conducted?
To investigate how ice behaves in such extreme conditions, the team employed a combination of computer simulations and lab-based experiments. Water molecules were cooled to around -120°C and frozen at different rates. When frozen slowly, approximately 20% of the ice exhibited a crystalline pattern.
On Earth, the team created different types of ice by freezing water vapour onto a chilled surface and by crushing standard ice at ultra-low temperatures. When both types were slightly heated, crystal structures began to emerge, suggesting that the ice already contained some degree of ordered molecular alignment.
Ice That Remembers
A key takeaway from the study is that ice retains structural memory. Even if it appears amorphous, the hydrogen atoms may still preserve a remnant of their earlier crystalline arrangement.
This insight is significant not only for space science but also for materials science more broadly.
Amorphous materials, such as glass fibre used in modern electronics, could benefit from this discovery. If micro-crystals hidden within these materials can be identified and removed, material performance could potentially be improved.
Implications And Further Research
Christoph Salzmann, a physical chemist at UCL, remarked that while snow on Earth displays nature’s symmetry in full beauty, space ice was previously assumed to be chaotically frozen.
This study, published in the journal Physical Review B, shows that water, one of the universe’s most abundant substances, still holds secrets yet to be fully understood.
Location :United Kingdom (UK)
First Published:News explainers Hidden Crystals In Space Ice Forcing Scientists To Rethink Everything We Know About Water
