Scientists find molecular-level evidence for two structures in liquid water
78 points
by wglb
5 hours ago
| 10 comments
| phys.org
| HN
le-mark
3 hours ago
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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!
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cellular
15 minutes ago
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"Density is greatest at 39F, not 32F"

But density at "greatest" would mean volume shrinking...right?

I don't understand the article's logic.

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VladVladikoff
4 hours ago
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>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.

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wglb
5 hours ago
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Study published in Nature Physics: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41567-026-03301-8
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harimau777
4 hours ago
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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!)

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analog31
1 hour ago
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While on the topic of weird theories of water, there's always Polywater:

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

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vermilingua
2 hours ago
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You can be sure they’ll start using this paper as “evidence” all the same.
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aand16
3 hours ago
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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.
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JumpCrisscross
2 hours ago
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> for a while it worked better than "regular" medicine. At least it wouldn't kill you

Homeopathy was invented after the discovery of germ theory [1][2]. So not really. And homeopathy has always suffered from an adulteration problem.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germ_theory_of_disease

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeopathy

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Retric
14 minutes ago
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As an idea sure, but not in practice.

Homeopathy was created in 1796, and we still haven’t gotten rid of it.

Meanwhile 65 years later https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignaz_Semmelweis

The maternal mortality rate dropped from 18% to less than 2%, and he published a book of his findings, Etiology, Concept and Prophylaxis of Childbed Fever, in 1861.

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pryce
1 hour ago
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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
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nine_k
29 minutes ago
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Vaccines is homeopathy working, in a way :)
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hyperhello
3 hours ago
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Homeopathic medicine is already recommended by 1 out of 1000000000000000000 doctors.
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not_a_bot_4sho
7 minutes ago
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Nice, this comment broke my composure.
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aeonik
2 hours ago
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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.
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etchalon
3 hours ago
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Stealing this forever.
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OutOfHere
3 hours ago
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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.
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jiggawatts
1 hour ago
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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!

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OutOfHere
1 hour ago
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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.
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mefistofeles
3 hours ago
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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.
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roflmaostc
3 hours ago
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Your linked preprint has been also published in Nature Communications: https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms3401
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boothby
3 hours ago
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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?
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jagged-chisel
2 hours ago
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Only if the molecules have a hydration shell
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potatosalad99
4 hours ago
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So the OTA firmware updates on my dehumidifier for when they discover a new kind of water will come in handy after all!
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felooboolooomba
3 hours ago
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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!
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doctorpangloss
50 minutes ago
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"In a neural network." is the new "In mice."
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cwmoore
3 hours ago
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Great to see progress on ice-9 /s
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zer00eyz
59 minutes ago
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"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
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