Using ultracold temperatures and some steel ball bearings, scientists have created a brand-new, bizarre form of ice that has the same density of liquid water.
The ice, known as medium-density amorphous ice, fits into a gap in the annals of frozen water that scientists weren’t sure would ever be filled. Unlike the crystalline ice that forms naturally on Earth, the newly created ice doesn’t have an organized molecular structure. Instead, its molecules are in a chaotic mismatch, more like glass — a state known as amorphous. Other types of amorphous ice have been made before, but they’ve been either much less dense or far denser than liquid water. This new Goldilocks version of amorphous ice is right in the middle, almost exactly matching liquid water’s density, researchers explained in a new study published in the journal Science today (Feb. 2).
“It’s something completely new,” said study senior author Christoph Salzmann (opens in new tab) , a professor of physical and materials chemistry at University College London.Grinding ice
When ice freezes normally on Earth, its molecules stack into an organized crystalline structure. This crystalline ice is one of the weird quirks of H2O, because it floats on liquid water in its solid state rather than sinking. This is due to the relatively big gaps in the crystal structure of water ice, compared with other materials that form denser structures when they crystallize.
When properly manipulated, though, liquid water can also freeze in a disorganized, amorphous state. The first of these states, low-density amorphous ice, was discovered in the 1930s. It’s made by depositing water vapor on very cold surfaces. This process happens naturally in space, Salzmann said, so low-density amorphous ice may be the most common form of ice in the universe.
In the 1980s, researchers discovered that they could also make high-density amorphous ice by compressing regular ice at very low temperatures. But no one ever had ever made amorphous ice with a medium density — that is, until Salzmann and his colleagues had a “crazy Friday afternoon idea.” They decided to try ball milling ice.
A ball mill is a device kind of like a very advanced cocktail shaker. A material is put into a chamber with stainless-steel balls and shaken or turned until the material is ground up. Ball milling is used in many industries, but it’s particularly good at creating amorphous materials and at grinding soft, frozen materials into powders, Salzmann said.
“We said, ‘Why don’t we ball mill ice and see what happens?'” Salzmann said.Weird properties
The researchers expected that the ball mill would just break the ice crystals into smaller ice crystals. But that’s not what happened. Instead, the tumbling steel balls sheared and compressed the ice crystals, shoving them into a new state of disorganization. The result? Medium-density amorphous ice.
Computer modeling showed that the ice starts in a nice, crystalline state, its hydrogen bonds forming a hexagonal lattice. The random shearing from the ball-milling pushes these hydrogen bonds this way and that, leaving them pointing up and down in a chaotic zigzag.
The new form of ice forms at 77 kelvins, or minus 321 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 196 degrees Celsius). It has some odd properties beyond its density of 1.06 grams per cubic centimeter (0.037 ounces per 0.06 cubic inches).. (Water has a density of 1 gram per cubic centimeter, or 0.035 punches per 0.06 cubic inches.) Among them, Salzmann said, is that when the researchers compressed the medium-density ice and heated it to minus 185 F (minus 120 C), the ice recrystallized, releasing a large amount of heat.
“With other forms of [amorphous] ice, if you compress them and you release the pressure, it’s like nothing happened,” Salzmann said. “But the MDA [medium-density amorphous ice] somehow has this ability to store the mechanical energy and release it through heating.”Related stories—Why is water important?
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Medium-density amorphous ice might occur naturally on the ice moons of gas giant planets, Salzmann said, where the gravitational forces of the enormous worlds compress and shear the moons’ ice. If so, the mechanical energy stored in this form of ice could influence the tectonics on these Hoth-like moons.
Understanding medium-density amorphous ice could also help researchers understand liquid water better more generally, Salzmann said. Water is odd not only because its crystalline form floats but also because it has other unique properties, like high surface tension and high melting and boiling points. Scientists still debate the nature of water at extremely low temperatures. Any debate now needs to take into account medium-density amorphous ice, Salzmann said.
“A lot of our understanding of liquid water was built on the pillars that there is low-density and high-density amorphous ice,” he said. “How does the medium-density amorphous ice fit into that picture?”
BOSTON — The Little Ball of Hate still feels a lot of love for Boston.
Brad Marchand struggled to hold back tears on the ice when the TD Garden crowd gave him a standing ovation Tuesday night during his first game back as a Bruins opponent. The 37-year-old forward tapped his heart, wiped his face and waved to the crowd as both teams banged their sticks against the ice and even the referee and linesmen clapped.
“I knew it was going to hit me the way it did. It was extremely touching,” Marchand said after the game, a 4-3 Panthers victory in which he had two assists. “The Bruins will always hold a very, very dear place in my heart.”
The last remaining member of Boston’s 2011 Stanley Cup-winning team, Marchand was traded from the noncontending Bruins to the Panthers last season for another chance at a title. He helped Florida complete its pursuit of back-to-back championships, while Boston plummeted to the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.
“I left and I turned the page and I found something truly special again that I’m very, very proud and blessed to be part of. And I chose to be part of again,” said Marchand, who re-signed with the Panthers in the offseason to a six-year deal worth about $32 million.
“I built something really special with every guy on this team last year, with winning. You build a bond that will last a lifetime. So I try not to show any disrespect in that way, as if I’m not grateful, because I am.
“But I’ve been here for several months. I’ve been in Boston for 15 years,” he said. “When you go from being a kid, with a dream, and then you grow up and you have a family, you become a man and you build an entire life in a city, it’s just different. Of course, it’ll always be in my heart and always be a special place.”
Marchand got his first taste of the welcome he would receive when the crowd cheered him off the ice after the pregame warmups, as the DJ played a mashup of John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads.” The former Bruins captain responded with a stick salute as he headed off via the visitors bench.
Fans wearing Marchand’s Boston and Florida No. 63 jerseys cheered again during introductions, then booed when he drew a tripping penalty just 33 seconds into the game. “I knew it wouldn’t take long,” he said with a chuckle.
There was a mixed reaction when the Panthers scored on the power play — a goal that first appeared to be Marchand’s but was credited to Mackie Samoskevich; Marchand picked up his first assist.
But things got really emotional during the first commercial break, midway through the first period, when the scoreboard showed a highlight reel from Marchand’s time in Boston — including shots of him being anointed with the captain’s “C” that he wore for a little more than one full season. It ended with a picture of him holding the Stanley Cup and the message, “Welcome back, Marchy.”
Marchand circled in front of the Panthers bench, waving to the fans and holding his heart. His face betrayed his emotions as he took his place on the bench, still on the verge of breaking down, and the crowd chanted his name.
“Those tears are real,” Florida coach Paul Maurice said during an in-game television interview. “He just wears his heart on his sleeve. He had so many great moments here, won a Stanley Cup here. He’ll always be a Bruin at heart.”
Marchand said he was able to mostly hold it together until his kids were shown on the scoreboard.
“It kind of hit like a ton of bricks,” he said. “The careers go by fast. It doesn’t matter how long you’re in, it goes by extremely fast. And to see a snapshot of that, it brings everything back. The amount of pride that I have that I played here and was part of this organization, I just couldn’t hold it in.”
The focus soon returned to hockey, with the Panthers taking a 2-0 lead in the second period. Marchand picked up a hooking penalty, drawing cheers from the crowd, and assisted on the goal that gave Florida a 3-2 lead with 1:31 left.
The Bruins tied it again before Carter Verhaeghe put the Panthers up for good with 27 seconds to play.
But the lasting memories will be of Marchand.
“He had so many good memories in this building, and he’s been a part of this franchise for so long. So it’s just good, kind of sit back and be a part of history a little bit,” Verhaeghe said. “He’s such a great guy and we’re so lucky to have him. I can only imagine what he meant to the city and to the fans.”
A four-time All-Star who had 422 goals and 554 assists in 16 seasons in Boston, Marchand remains in the Bruins’ top 10 for goals, assists, short-handed goals, overtime goals, playoff goals and points. His 1,090 games played is fourth in team history, one spot ahead of Don Sweeney, the general manager who dealt him to Florida at the trade deadline.
Marchand did play in the TD Garden as a visitor in February when he suited up for Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off; although he was still a member of the Bruins, the Boston fans booed him during a time of heightened geopolitical animosity between the U.S. and Canada.
He was traded to Florida a few weeks later as Boston began a rebuild. But when the Panthers visited for the Bruins’ first home game after the trade deadline, Marchand was injured and skated on the Garden ice only during practice.
EAST MEADOW, N.Y. — The New York Islanders fired goaltending coach Piero Greco, making the change at an unorthodox time just six games into his seventh season with the team and after winning three in a row.
General manager Mathieu Darche announced the abrupt decision Wednesday to part ways with Greco and promote Sergei Naumovs from Bridgeport of the American Hockey League. Naumovs, who is Latvian, has been in Bridgeport since May 2024 but has an extensive history coaching franchise goalie Ilya Sorokin going back to their time together with CSKA Moscow in the KHL from 2018 to 2020.
Sorokin’s 3.90 goals-against average is second worst and his .873 save percentage ranks fourth worst in the NHL among netminders who have appeared in at least four games.
“Piero has done a great job for the organization for the last seven years,” Darche said. “We just felt at this time it was the right timing to have a reset with our goalies.”
Darche said he did not seek input from Sorokin, who is in the second year of a $66 million contract that runs through 2032.
“It’s my decision — it’s not on the player,” Darche said. “I know he’s had success with Sergei, and that’s where we went. It’s 100% my decision, and the goalie had nothing to do with it.”
In other Islanders news, injured forward Pierre Engvall had ankle surgery and is expected to miss the entire season, or roughly five to six months, according to Darche, who said goaltender Semyon Varlamov continues to progress toward a return from knee surgery.
With some other players banged up and salary cap space at a premium, the Islanders put forward Marc Gatcomb on waivers. The 26-year-old had dressed in only one game so far this season.
Signage outside Applied Materials headquarters in Santa Clara, California, U.S., on Thursday, May 13, 2021.
David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Chip equipment manufacturer Applied Materials is laying off 4% of its workforce.
The company on Thursday began notifying impacted employees around the world “across all levels and groups,” it said in a filing. Applied Materials provides equipment, services and software to industries, including the semiconductor industry.
Applied Materials had approximately 36,100 full-time employees, according to an August 2025 filing. A layoff of 4% would represent about 1,444 employees.
“Automation, digitalization and geographic shifts are redefining our workforce needs and skill requirements,” the company wrote in the filing. “With this in mind, we have been focused for some time on building high-velocity, high-productivity teams, adopting new technologies and simplifying organizational structures.”
The move comes at the end of the company’s fiscal year. Earlier this month, the Applied Materials forecasted a $600 million hit to fiscal 2026 revenue after the U.S. expanded its restricted export list. That resulted in company shares to dipping 3% in extended trading.
As a result of the workforce reduction, Applied Materials expects to incur charges of approximately $160 million to $180 million, consisting primarily of severance and other one-time employment termination benefits to be paid in cash, the filing states.
The company said the cuts are a way to position itself “as a more competitive and productive organization.”
