A new finding from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory offers a new insight into ice’s properties, writes member Karyn Hede. Despite appearing rigid and its perfectly hexagonal lattice structure, ice itself is rather flexible and malleable and thus offers an explanation for gas bubbles trapped within it. The new discovery works by introducing a new way of ice observation. Rather than the previous methods of using harsh conditions such as traditional and vacuum sealing to view individual atoms, they used a technique to sandwich liquid water between thin carbon membranes and a new cryogenic way to freeze it. Find out more about these mundane yet fascinating aspects of nature with Hede.
Photo: PtrQs via Wikimedia Commons
