Crystalline Ice Discovered in Space: New Study Reveals Hidden Order in Cosmic Ice

A groundbreaking study from University College London and the University of Cambridge reveals that water ice in space, long believed to be completely amorphous due to extreme cold, may actually contain up to 25% crystalline structure. Simulations and X-ray diffraction experiments confirm the presence of nanocrystals in so-called low-density amorphous ice. This surprising finding has significant implications for our understanding of planetary formation, galactic evolution, and how life’s essential ingredients may have traveled to Earth on interstellar ice grains.