The most common form of ice in the universe is not the material that scientists have completely confused for decades.
Instead, according to new research, this “space ice” embeds tiny crystals into its structures, which can reshape our understanding of how planets form, and even how life reaches Earth.
There are low density of amorphous ice throughout the universe – in comets, cold moons, and dusty clouds of stars and planets. Unlike highly ordered crystalline ice found on Earth, this space ice forms at extremely cold temperatures where there doesn’t seem to be enough energy to create organized structures.
But researchers at University College London and Cambridge University found that this assumption was wrong. Their computer simulations published in Physical Review B show that ice contains about three nanometers wide crystalline regions, wider than a single DNA.
Hidden structures revealed through multiple methods
The research team used two different computer models to simulate water freezing at -120 degrees Celsius at various rates. They found that ice containing up to 20% of the crystalline material closely matched the structures observed in previous X-ray diffraction experiments.
To confirm their findings, the scientists used different methods to create real samples of amorphous ice, from deposition of water vapor onto an extremely cold surface to warm compressed ice formed at nearly -200 degrees Celsius. When they gently heated these samples, each sample retained different structural features according to the way it was initially formed.
“We now have a good idea of what the most common ice layer in the universe looks at the atomic level,” the study was conducted as part of a PhD. “This is important because ice involves many cosmological processes, such as how planets form, how galaxies develop, and how matter moves in the universe.”
Impact on the origin of life
The discovery is of great significance to the theory of life on earth. The Panspermia hypothesis suggests that the basis of life arrives here on ice comets, low-density amorphous ice as a transport medium for simple amino acids and other organic molecules.
New findings suggest that the ice may not be very effective in carrying these key ingredients. “Our findings suggest that for the origin of these living molecules, this ice would be a less good transport material,” Davis explained. “That’s because some of the structures have smaller spaces that these components can be embedded.”
However, the theory is not completely destroyed. Davis notes that amorphous areas on the ice can still capture and store the basis of life.
Key research results:
- Space ice contains up to 20% of crystalline material embedded in amorphous structures
- Crystal size measurements are about 3 nanometers – more than most viruses
- Different formation methods produce ice with different structural characteristics
- Discovery challenges decades of assumptions about cosmic ice behavior
Beyond Cosmology: Application of Technology
The study extends the scope of space science to materials technology. Professor Christoph Salzmann, co-author of UCL Chemistry, noted that these findings raise questions about amorphous materials used in advanced technologies.
“Fiber glass that transmits long distances must be amorphous or disordered,” Salzman said. “If they do contain very small crystals, we can remove them, which will improve their performance.”
The team also highlighted the potential of ICE as a space material. “Ice can be a high-performance material in space,” Davis noted. “It can shield spacecraft from radiation or provide fuel in the form of hydrogen and oxygen. So we need to understand its various forms and properties.”
Larger pictures
Despite the basic role of water in life, it is still one of the most mysterious substances in science. Professor Angelos Michaelides of Cambridge University emphasized this: “Water is the foundation of life, but we still don’t fully understand it. Amorphous ice may be the key to explaining many anomalies in some water.”
The research team previously discovered medium-density amorphous ice in 2023, and it continues to discover new forms of this basic substance. Their latest discovery suggests that there is no real amorphous ice in the universe at all (without structure at all), overturning the basic assumptions about one of the most common materials of the universe.
As scientists continue to explore the mysteries of cosmic ice, each discovery gives us a better understanding of how planets and stars form, but how life itself begins its journey to the universe.
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