The universe holds many mysteries, and one big question is, "Does life exist on other planets?" Scientists believe water is essential for life. On Earth, we know water as a liquid (like oceans), solid (ice), or gas (steam). But now, scientists have found a surprising new type of water that isn’t like any of these. It’s called “plastic ice VII.”

This strange form of water happens under extreme heat and pressure—conditions we don’t experience on Earth. Unlike regular ice, which stays solid and still, plastic ice VII has a crystal structure, but its molecules can still move around, almost like they’re spinning. It’s flexible, or "plastic," which makes it very different from the ice we know.

What is plastic ice VII?

Plastic ice VII isn’t like the ice cubes in your freezer. It’s a special kind of ice that forms only under extreme pressure and heat.

Even though it stays solid, the tiny hydrogen molecules inside can move and spin around freely. This movement makes the ice behave in a flexible, or “plastic,” way—almost like a solid that can bend without breaking.

Scientists first guessed this type of ice might exist 17 years ago. Recently, a team of researchers in France finally proved it’s real. They did this by squeezing the ice with 6 gigapascals of pressure — that’s 60,000 times more pressure than we feel on Earth — and heating it to 327°C (hotter than most ovens!). This extreme environment made the hydrogen molecules start moving inside the ice, which confirmed it was plastic ice VII.

This discovery helps scientists understand how water might behave on other planets, where conditions are way more intense than on Earth.

This kind of extreme environment is similar to the deep interiors of icy moons or distant planets. It raises the exciting possibility that such exotic ice might exist naturally beyond Earth.

Could this strange ice exist on other planets?

Scientists published a study in the journal Nature suggesting that strange ice, called plastic ice VII, might exist on faraway worlds like Neptune or Jupiter’s moons Europa and Ganymede. They believe this special ice could be hidden deep beneath the surface, where the temperature is scorching hot and the pressure is extremely high — the perfect conditions to create it.

This discovery raises an exciting question: Could life survive in such a place?

If life exists on these icy planets or moons, it would have to adapt to tough environments—with high pressure, extreme heat, and very little energy. These are very different conditions from the oceans on Earth. Some scientists think life could evolve to handle these harsh surroundings. But others believe the unique nature of plastic ice VII might actually stop life from forming. The hydrogen molecules inside this ice move and rotate, which could block the important chemical reactions that living things need to survive.

Why is this discovery important?

This discovery isn’t just important for finding life on other planets. Plastic ice VII also helps scientists understand how water behaves under extreme conditions — like the deep insides of planets and moons. It gives clues about what might be happening beneath their surfaces, both in our solar system and far away.

The discovery of plastic ice VII shows that water isn’t as simple as it seems. It can exist in strange and unexpected forms. And who knows? These unusual types of water might help scientists uncover more secrets about the universe—and maybe even whether life exists beyond Earth.

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