Scientists find molecular-level evidence for two structures in liquid water(phys.org)
75 pointsby wglb5 hours ago11 comments
  • le-mark4 hours ago
    Somewhat related is the hydration shell around molecules especially proteins. It’s been shown that semi structured water around proteins help guide molecules to reaction sites. Water is an amazing thing!
  • VladVladikoff4 hours ago
    >The boundary between them is thought to terminate at a "second critical point." This deeply supercooled region is so hard to study experimentally because water crystallizes rapidly

    This sounds like the type of thing that could be used for some future technology that doesn’t exist yet and I can’t comprehend. Some sort of process that takes advantage of being in this second critical state.

  • wglb5 hours ago
    Study published in Nature Physics: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41567-026-03301-8
  • harimau7774 hours ago
    It would be hilarious if homeopathy turned out to be right!

    (To be clear, I don't think that will actually happen, but it would be hilarious if it did!)

    • analog31an hour ago
      While on the topic of weird theories of water, there's always Polywater:

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polywater

    • vermilingua3 hours ago
      You can be sure they’ll start using this paper as “evidence” all the same.
    • aand163 hours ago
      Don't know about right, but for a while it worked better than "regular" medicine. At least it wouldn't kill you, when the alternative was intensive bloodlettings and purgatives.
    • prycean hour ago
      Homeopathic medicine is a discredited theoretical explanation for a phenomenon that empirical testing shows does not exist. For 'homeopathy' to be right, it would need the to become 'right' twice - first: new data would need to begin existing, and then second: the homeopathic mechanisms would need to become the most plausible explanation for that data
    • nine_k12 minutes ago
      Vaccines is homeopathy working, in a way :)
    • hyperhello4 hours ago
      Homeopathic medicine is already recommended by 1 out of 1000000000000000000 doctors.
      • aeonik2 hours ago
        Homeopathy actually works great depending on what you use it for: I've been trying homeopathic vodka and it's done wonders for my health.
      • etchalon3 hours ago
        Stealing this forever.
    • OutOfHere3 hours ago
      There is no basis to suggest that any product uses this property of water. As for homeopathy, it isn't one thing. The effects, if any, can vary greatly by the substance and the concentration. Some low-dilution products work and many high-dilution products don't. There is such a thing as excessive dilution. Anyone who is painting a simpler picture of it is almost certainly wrong.
      • 3 hours ago
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      • jiggawatts2 hours ago
        Homeopathy is very literally the singular concept that more diluted medicine works better.

        Saying that “less diluted works better” is saying the diametric opposite of what Homeopathic “theory” does!

        • OutOfHerean hour ago
          You're speaking of classical homeopathy, not practical observation. In practice there are many homeopathic products with varying dilutions, many of which have a meaningful amount of the substance, and therefore the distinct possibility of a biological effect.
  • mefistofeles3 hours ago
    Sadly paper is behind paywall. But I question the choosing of the water model to be a 4-site, and why that specific 4-site one (TIP4P) instead of others that have shown to be more accurate such as OPC. Also, there seem to be previous experimental work (https://arxiv.org/abs/1304.2877) showing some evidence that apparently is not even referenced in this new paper. I wonder how does that compare, if at all.
  • boothby3 hours ago
    So if liquid water is really a mixture of water and water, is it safe to say that this paper establishes that water is wet?
    • jagged-chisel3 hours ago
      Only if the molecules have a hydration shell
  • doctorpangloss33 minutes ago
    "In a neural network." is the new "In mice."
  • potatosalad994 hours ago
    So the OTA firmware updates on my dehumidifier for when they discover a new kind of water will come in handy after all!
    • felooboolooomba4 hours ago
      Nah, IFIFY: So the OTA firmware updates on my dehumidifier is for when they make a new kind of dehumidifier that they want me to buy!
  • 4 hours ago
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  • cwmoore4 hours ago
    Great to see progress on ice-9 /s
    • zer00eyz42 minutes ago
      "I have been a writer since 1949. I am self-taught. I have no theories about writing that might help others. When I write, I simply become what I seemingly must become. I am six feet two and weigh nearly two hundred pounds and am badly coordinated, except when I swim. All that borrowed meat does the writing. In the water I am beautiful." ― Kurt Vonnegut, Welcome to the Monkey House
  • appreciatorBus3 hours ago
    [flagged]