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Ice In Space Is a Lot Stranger Than We Thought (and Is Quite Important!)

2025-08-05 Science & Technology
125.0k
9.1k
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Anton Petrov
Anton Petrov
1.6m subscribers

Revisiting Cosmic Ice: Discovering Hidden Crystals in the Universe's Most Common Water Form

Scientists have overturned the long-held view that ice in space is perfectly disordered. Discover how this newly confirmed hybrid crystalline structure redefines planetary science, challenges theories of life's origins, and offers surprising opportunities for modern technology.

Short Summary

  • Scientists confirmed that Low Density Amorphous (LDA) ice, the universe's most abundant water form, contains embedded microcrystals ranging from 20% to 65% of its structure.
  • This finding refines our models for planetary formation and complicates the Panspermia hypothesis by reducing available space for molecular transport.
  • The research suggests potential technological breakthroughs in optimizing data transfer through existing glass fibers and improving resolution in cryogenic microscopy.
  • The segment also reviews prior work on Medium Density Amorphous (MDA) ice, linking its heat release properties to potential ice quakes on moons like Europa.

This video details groundbreaking research by Michael B Davies and team that used simulations and physical experiments to characterize space ice. Understanding this fundamental substance is critical because it influences cosmic evolution and the search for environments capable of sustaining life elsewhere.

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Description

Support this channel on Patreon to help me make this a full time job: https://www.patreon.com/whatdamath (Unreleased videos, extra footage, DMs, no ads) Alternatively, PayPal donations can be sent here: http://paypal.me/whatdamath Get a Wonderful Person Tee: https://teespring.com/stores/whatdamath More cool designs are on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3QFIrFX Hello and welcome! My name is Anton and in this video, we will talk about amorphous ice discoveries Links: https://journals.aps.org/prb/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevB.112.024203 Videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lqp4_I6JxAs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-Tk4JO4Ohc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNBv_U-95SM #amorphous #ice #space 0:00 Ice in space and amorphous solids 2:00 Phases of ice in space 3:30 Most common type of ice in the universe 4:00 Unusual discovery and how it was found 6:00 Experimental evidence using crushed water ice 7:10 Why this matters 8:40 Application to modern technology 10:15 Water is just weird 10:50 Previous discovery and implications for moons 12:50 Conclusions Enjoy and please subscribe Bitcoin/Ethereum to spare? Donate them here to help this channel grow! bc1qnkl3nk0zt7w0xzrgur9pnkcduj7a3xxllcn7d4 or ETH: 0x60f088B10b03115405d313f964BeA93eF0Bd3DbF Thank you to all Patreon supporters of this channel Special thanks also goes to all the wonderful supporters of the channel through YouTube Memberships Credit: Michael B Davies, UCL, and University of Cambridge Qs6160 CC BY-SA 4.0 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amorphous_solid#/media/File:Crystalline_vs._Amorphous_solid.png Cmglee CC BY-SA 3.0 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phases_of_ice#/media/File:Phase_diagram_of_water.svg Wpd0101 CC BY SA 4.0 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:3D_representation_of_several_phases_of_water.jpg Masakazu Matsumoto's CC BY 2.0 https://www.flickr.com/photos/vitroids/1527108899/in/photostream/ Licenses used: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ and relevant Creative Commons licenses

Top Comments (10)

@TQFMTradingStrategies 2025-08-06

It’s water that’s…. LOST IN SPACE

23
@NoxDiablo 2025-08-05

Hey Anton hope you're having an awesome day bro. Much love to you and the rest of the ppl

57
@Eli-InTheWolverineState 2025-08-05

You could do a whole video on different phases of ice.

14
@111455 2025-08-06

ice is just soo good the universe keeps making sequels

13 1 replies
@jimcurtis9052 2025-08-05

Wonderful as always Anton. Thank you. 🙂👍

25
@Kelnx 2025-08-05

The more that is understood about water, the more apparent it becomes that there is no true analogue of it in natural chemistry. I think the assumption that water as a universal requirement for life might be more correct than some think.

90 9 replies
@ChrisMissal 2025-08-05

Very cool one Anton!

17
@alfredsutton4412 2025-08-06

Thank you, Anton, for bringing us the latest in science. 😊

12
@Blackholegamingchannel 2025-08-05

Your as cold as ice! Sub Zero wins thanks Anton!

14
@AJScraps 2025-08-05

It looks so beautiful, cool ice!

15

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