Do you want some ice in your glass of water?
Life is made possible by the abundant presence of water on our planet. But what is special about water compared to other liquids? Atomic studies show that this liquid is composed of a large number of co-existing structures, including crystal-like structures as in ice even at room temperature. This scenario is radically different with respect to other liquids that look homogeneous at all scales. This observation can be a key element to unravel the hidden connection between water and life. A joint collaboration between Francesco Rao, Junior Fellow at the FRIAS School of Soft Matter Research and the University of Zurich allowed the development of a new theoretical framework based on complex networks and molecular simulations. Originally developed to understand the structure of the World-Wide-Web and social interactions, complex networks have now led to the uncovering of the inhomogeneous structure of water. These results have recently been published in the Journal of Physical Chemistry. J. Phys. Chem. B, Article ASAP DOI: 10.1021/jp1060792
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