Periodic Neon is an AI model trained to analyze X-ray diffraction (XRD) data for materials discovery, achieving a 55.3% success rate on complex internal evaluations—a 20x improvement over baseline models—while outperforming GPT-6 Astra and Claude Fable 5.1 at lower cost. The model automates the time-consuming task of identifying crystal phases and proportions in multiphase powder samples, freeing scientists to oversee more experiments in autonomous labs.
Scientists discovered a new form of ice called hexagonal close-packed (hcp) superionic ice under extreme pressures up to 2.3 million atmospheres and temperatures exceeding 2,600 kelvins. Using diamond anvils and lasers, researchers led by physicist Alexis Forestier created conditions mimicking the interiors of ice giant planets like Uranus and Neptune, where this exotic ice state may influence magnetic field generation.
Scientists have experimentally created hexagonal close-packed (hcp) ice, a exotic form of superionic ice, by subjecting water to extreme pressures up to 2.3 million atmospheres and temperatures exceeding 2,600 kelvins. This state of matter, previously only theorized, features oxygen atoms in a rigid crystal lattice while hydrogen nuclei move freely like liquid particles. The discovery is significant because superionic ice is believed to exist in the interiors of ice giant planets like Uranus and Neptune, where it may influence their magnetic field generation.