This strange form of water may power giant planets’ magnetic fieldsWater pushed to planetary extremes turns into an exotic, electricity-conducting solid — and it’s far stranger than scientists ever imagined.
Date: January 13, 2026
Source: University of Rostock
Summary:
At extreme pressures and temperatures, water becomes superionic — a solid that behaves partly like a liquid and conducts electricity. This unusual form is believed to shape the magnetic fields of Uranus and Neptune and may be the most common type of water in the solar system. New high-precision experiments show its atomic structure is far messier than expected, combining multiple crystal patterns instead of one clean arrangement. The finding reshapes models of icy planets both near and far.
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Source:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/01/260112214308.htm
