University of Innsbruck

It turns out that blasting people with shockwaves during open-heart surgery is a really good idea. That's what researchers found who used the technique to reactivate heart cells and improve the post-op lives of patients in a groundbreaking study.

There are many exotic states of matter besides the basics of solid, liquid, gas and plasma. One of these, known as a supersolid, was confirmed a few years ago, and now University of Innsbruck scientists have created it in a new two-dimensional form.

Scientists have categorized 18 different types of ice so far, each with its own unique crystalline structure and unique arrangement of hydrogen and oxygen atoms. Now another, by the name of ice XIX, has been added to the list.