A stop-motion experiment reveals supercooled water’s dual nature

Liquid water at temperatures well below freezing has two different arrangements of molecules

water molecule illustration

Liquid water cooled to very low temperatures has high-density and low-density arrangements of molecules, a new study suggests. The high-density structure is illustrated here with molecules containing oxygen atoms (red spheres) and hydrogen atoms (silver spheres).

Timothy Holland/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Supercooled water may be a two-for-one deal.