We Still Don’t Understand What Water Is, Here’s Why

Water is actually really weird-like, way weirder than you probably realize-and our understanding of it might only just be coming to a boil.
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Water can dissolve more solids than any other substance, water has at least 66 properties that differentiate it from most other liquids, and water is almost the only liquid in the universe where the solid form is less dense than the liquid form.
Water is really weird, but it has also made life on Earth possible and all its incredible characteristics exist thanks to the hydrogen bond. Water consists of one oxygen atom bonded to two hydrogen atoms: H20.
In this Elements, we explore a debated school of thought: Is water actually two different liquids instead of one complicated one? And can this hypothesis actually help us explain water's strange properties? Watch to find out more!
#water #h20 #statesofmatter #oxygen #hydrogen #science #seeker #elements
Thumbnail Image Credit: Fivos Perakis and Anders Nilsson, Stockholm University
Read More:
Five Things We Still Don’t Know About Water
oceans.nautil.us/feature/568/f...
"Yes, water is common-in fact, it is the third most common molecule in the universe. But, contrary to Mother’s views, it is also deceptively complex. Here are just a few of the scientific problems related to water that remain open today."
The Weirdness of Water
www.chemistryworld.com/featur...
"Whether a mixture of two liquids or just one, water’s properties are also fundamental to biology. ‘Water is the thing that gives [nucleic acids] their interesting structure and properties, and it’s the same with proteins,’ says Chaplin. Life itself has flourished because ice is less dense than water, allowing organisms to survive underneath floating ice layers. ‘What is interesting is we are peering into the region where life exists when [water’s anomalous behaviour] pops up,’ says Nilsson. According to his two-state model, it is only at temperatures below 50°C that water becomes a mixture of low- and high-density liquid and this is also the temperature region at which life exists. ‘Is this a coincidence, or is there something significant about that?’ asks Nilsson. ‘We don’t [yet] know.’"
How polarity makes water behave strangely - Christina Kleinberg
ed.ted.com/lessons/how-polari...
"Water is both essential and unique. Many of its particular qualities stem from the fact that it consists of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen, therefore creating an unequal sharing of electrons. From fish in frozen lakes to ice floating on water, Christina Kleinberg describes the effects of polarity."
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[@mysimpletoon]

1950s: we are going to have flying cars in the future' 2020: what is water

[@296jacqi]

This tickled me so much. I keep laughing over and over. 😆

[@emulatortattagaynamo4912]

Good joke after a long time!!

[@exhibitless2386]

Ok, this was the best use of that format 😂😂😂

[@dr.jamesolack8504]

Uncomfortable Penguin We had flying cars in the 1940s.

[@TheNamesArif]

Sounds like something Vsauce would say.

[@MrUtuber29]

Why this video is informative and uninformative at the same time.

[@teyrasiridae4704]

Because it's more meant as an edutainment piece than a scientific breakdown.

[@timng9104]

when she mention XRD, i expected to see some diffraction peaks and lattice arrangement :(

[@mrnobody339]

Why is what you wrote a statement and a question at the same time!?

[@firefly618]

because it tells you that there is something interesting, without actually explaining anything

[@mrnobody339]

@@firefly618 like a woman's body language sounds like.

[@52.yusrilihsanadinatanegar79]

Water (at the molecular level): Nah it's too simple Water (at the macroscopic level): *what is this thing*

[@DerMaikNichJa]

Emergence Phenomenon in complex systems where interactions produce effects not directly predictable from the subsystems - from Wikipedia

[@aperson2730]

I salute you sir 😀😀

[@Gavin-cu7ti]

Nah, it’s because Seeker needs a clickbait title

[@52.yusrilihsanadinatanegar79]

@@DerMaikNichJa yup, that's when simple things get more complex

[@leonardodavincithegenius4615]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/qWSnqXiCrcqGgs0

[@lasarith2]

Hydrogen - hey Oxygen wanna mess with scientists Oxygen - sure why not .

[@PrinceKashyap.]

Ahhh😌 the good ol' Chemistry puns. I love em

[@aperson2730]

I guess they've got nothing better to do during this lockdown either 🙂

[@fundemort]

Oxygen: hey Hydrogen wanna have a threesome?

[@leonardodavincithegenius4615]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/qWSnqXiCrcqGgs0. Water of different caliber

[@nekomimi-kun618]

Does that mean hydrogen has a twin?

[@dcsignal5241]

Almost every chemistry exam I ever sat in the 80's had a question related to the Polar bonding of Water.

[@avg_user-dd2yb]

Water actually has life,they still think that water is just a chemical substance,water responds to vibration, thoughts....

[@johni0018]

@@avg_user-dd2yb Define "life"

[@johni0018]

@Mark Steven If we use that definition for life then the concept of water "having life" is nonsensical.

[@gingersnapuu444]

@@avg_user-dd2yb how does it respond to thoughts?

[@Odo-so8pj]

@@gingersnapuu444 it doesn't have thoughts. The guy above is confusing a study that considers our thoughts/feelings having an effect on water and decomposition of foods. The observed electron theory.

[@eugenecbell]

I once had a 5 gallon bucket outside full of water. The bucket had been used for brewing beer and was extremely clean. It may have filled with rain water. One night it was very cold, like 20 F. When I was leaving for work I happened to look in the bucket and saw only water. I thought maybe the water had frozen but with no bubbles, so I kicked it to see if it was solid or liquid. It was liquid and instantly turned solid, with plenty of bounces. This was my first hands on experience with Water in its supper cooled state. Be cautious of water in its supper heated state in the microwave.

[@pressaltf4forfreevbucks179]

Do you know the formula of sodium hypobromite NaBrO

[@leonardodavincithegenius4615]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/qWSnqXiCrcqGgs0

[@nicklevi5537]

@@leonardodavincithegenius4615 🖕

[@leonardodavincithegenius4615]

@@nicklevi5537 Molecular level is also Holi ... Now you know what is truth and what you should follow ...

[@pressaltf4forfreevbucks179]

@@leonardodavincithegenius4615 dude, i'm not gonna judge your beliefs or something, but i'm a christian and i also have my reasons to believe. Just keep this stuff for your self. What you show in the video can be explained with the placebo effect

[@alphagt62]

Science jokes! 👍

[@coco805]

It really upsets me that her bookshelf is organized by COLOR. That is all.

[@aceg81]

Did not notice that. That is bizarre.

[@pinrod1]

yeah, only normal ppl organize their bookshelf using the dewey decimal system

[@noahway13]

She must be at Goodwill.

[@dawncawthra3519]

Been drinking that Konmari.

[@explorateur8159]

She could be more of a visual than a verbal-alphabetical sort of person

[@Master_Therion]

In my last job I was a water chemist. You could give me any water related problem... I had all the solutions.

[@annetteblackmon9578]

👍👍

[@allthingsnerdy5474]

Why my pp smol?

[@Master_Therion]

@@allthingsnerdy5474 Because Pewdiepie says so!!!!

[@BartJBols]

@@Master_Therion damn, you're legit

[@davidduffy9806]

Unsubscribed over this one.... rubbish

[@dakotadad8835]

Soap breaks the surface tension of water making water, wetter

[@mrslinkydragon9910]

Thats why you put bubble bath in

[@bobm4378]

@@kevinratay8285 No its the soap molecule.. one end HATES water, the other LOVES it! so it will squeeze into the virus, to get away from the water - the other end loves water, so it will eventually 'pull apart' any thing it attaches to! This is also why your skin gets bad if you leave it on too long!! :O

[@santosl.harper4471]

No it doesnt

[@bobm4378]

@@santosl.harper4471 doesnt **what** ??

[@ronsimmsfan2661]

@@santosl.harper4471 it minimizes the surface tension and thats why soap is a surfactant

[@enochtwoeagles1507]

I find this extremely interesting. Would like to see more on this topic.

[@BackYardScience2000]

Same. Would love to see more on this.

[@Gavin-cu7ti]

It’s because Seeker needs a clickbait title

[@ThatSilverDude]

Too bad this is seeker and you will never hear more about this topic. I MISS D NEWS AND TRACE

[@christianheichel]

@[AUTHORITY OF FINEST REALM] Every single person that has ever had hydrogen dioxide has died. We must put a stop to this. It is a travesty that it continues. Say no to hydrogen dioxide!

[@IrishStuey247]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/gX-WgXV8rbtmjtk

[@massimoesposito7014]

This is the destiny of science: study more and more obvious subjects, because ultimately mysteries are in daily life things.

[@donperegrine922]

MIST-ERIES?! Brilliant hehe

[@lucrativelepton]

The name's Bond. Hydrogen Bond.

[@69Solo]

Once a legend said, be like water. Formless, shapeless. If you put water in a cup, it becomes a cup. Be like water. ✊

[@leonardodavincithegenius4615]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/qWSnqXiCrcqGgs0

[@florapirie111]

Be like water . Become a cup its your destiny

[@OJASCKI]

Conform completely? Sure...

[@JohnSmith-wx4ts]

Bruce

[@thedoorsbiggestfan]

be water my friend

[@AsphaltAntelope]

3:49 "desalinate water" - aren't those pools dewatering saline?

[@dinamosflams]

@Michael Skinner that is the idea

[@jonathanfriess1211]

What she is talking about is how to make drinking water out of salty water... What the pictures show is how to make salt out of salty water... She messed with us lol

[@Clan_AlbertheGrey]

Science: Water is the most bizarre thing in the universe Non-Scientists: Water is Water!

[@HerbaMachina]

I disagree, water has interesting properties, buts it's not really bizarre.

[@nathangibson2114]

I've been pondering this for years

[@keepithundo9239]

Hahahahahha this deserves more likes

[@shitlordflytrap1078]

@mayson lee something tells me you're the virgin here.

[@awesomeeliam7882]

Anthony Indeed, they’re probably just angry because nobody likes them.

[@gingerelvira6587]

With Fist planted under chin!~

[@jim2lane]

props 😜

[@harshildeora1001]

Damn you Hydrogen bonding

[@jerrymuns]

This was a good presentation and I thought that I knew a lot about water, and its unusual characteristics to crystalize into different molecular configurations given different frequencies. The dual states and the new experiments are fascinating. Thank you seeker for continuing to deliver interesting new content.

[@feminico2613]

Wow the explanation was watered down to understandable bits anyone can swallow.

[@hedf]

Having trouble swallowing, try thick water

[@aubreyv1389]

😂

[@leegenix]

I found it deep and not Shallow.

[@graybeard2113]

Depending on how thirsty you are for information..

[@MrCoffis]

“But some of the molecules will get left out ... of the group” I feel you there water...

[@MattR0ss]

Wow that is a really nice necklace with golden ratio!

[@leonardodavincithegenius4615]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/qWSnqXiCrcqGgs0 About Water...

[@marianoalippi5226]

What makes you an angel is when you say it is not just water at all, it is water but there is also a lot of love in what you do.

[@ded499]

How she tell all properties is really nice .her talking style is better than other in this channel. She give information slowly and not loud , it go right into the brain. Others talk too fast to understand everything on the topic

[@MarenHunsberger]

Very glad you liked it! Subscribe to my personal channel for more :)

[@dissonanceparadiddle]

I love the hexagonal structure it starts to show as it cools

[@maemilev]

When you add forever chemicals into it! Is even weirder!

[@zack7122]

Michael Skinner can i feel the soles of your feet.

[@leonardodavincithegenius4615]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/qWSnqXiCrcqGgs0

[@OJASCKI]

@@leonardodavincithegenius4615 lame

[@blueberrylane8340]

The way you convey your excitement for science really makes learning engaging, love the videos you do!

[@cromeaxe]

0:35 that second crack most satisfying 😌

[@keldyo2198]

3:39 code lyoko leit motiv starts playing 🤩

[@markshiman5690]

There was an entire university class about water during my undergrad, and I shrugged my shoulder to it, thinking it would be pointless. I think I missed out on an interesting topic :(

[@SPIKEASAURUS]

the music is the code lyoko theme

[@pixxelwizzard]

This was super fascinating, and the presenters sense of excitement and wonder was infectious. Great video!

[@josejara9081]

Her enthusiasm for science just makes me smile! ❤

[@PurpleGhost666]

OMG, I have never saw some talking about water with so excitement. I just love your enthusiasm.

[@MarenHunsberger]

Ahaha I'm so glad! I can't help it, I just love science too much to calm down. Subscribe to my personal channel for more :)

[@customsongmaker]

She thinks she's smart for repeating what someone else told her.

[@KapuAdam]

The funny thing about ice floating is that this is just one of the many solid phases of water, with other phases forming at different pressures and temperatures. Look at the phase diagram.

[@potawatomi100]

Excellent video and superbly narrated. You’re a great speaker and have talent elucidating what could otherwise be difficult ideas.

[@JCPatrick]

I remember my chemistry instructor said that “water is actually really sticky”.

[@koba763]

Holy shit, I just thought about that for a minute. That's some pretty mind-blowing stuff

[@leonardodavincithegenius4615]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/qWSnqXiCrcqGgs0

[@stephensoltau2823]

Interesting thought

[@TheGroovyJones]

Take a drink of water whenever she says "water".

[@gabemcguire2463]

I love that I’m watching this instead of doing my science homework that is literally about the states of matter at different temperatures on different planets.

[@15Monkeylord10]

I love this because I always say “this water looks awful wet” when cliff jumping at the beach

[@AdityaKumar-pf4ij]

And the whole time I used to think this is just water which I can use for drinking, bathing etc

[@ED-ww6vz]

Plot twist: water are aliens’ pee

[@ethericboy]

Don`t EVER try your luck at standup comedy dude,trust me

[@achatinaslak742]

I should call the water in the supercooled state, beginning at 3,12, the Popcorn state of water.

[@davidcraig9779]

Water you talking about? This may be one of the best and most revealing videos I've ever seen. It even overlaps with physics.

[@earlbeilhart6055]

And there's water at the bottom of the ocean,,,,same as it ever was.........

[@seanb3516]

Scientists with Freakin' Lasers attached to them....Sweet!

[@seanb3516]

@Michael Skinner My sharks are steeped in DHMO daily. Pure as Satans ginch. Lol

[@urlkrueger]

In the winter time when the temperature is below freezing I like to take a 2l soda bottle, rinse it out good, fill with water to the top, put the lid on and set it out on my porch in the evening. Most of the time it will still be liquid in the morning, that is until I give it a good knock on the top. Then ice crystals will form and you can watch them grow from the top to the bottom in the span of just a few seconds. For some reason I find this extremely satisfying and never get tired of doing it.

[@codystovall4302]

When i was a teenager I used to think entering a pool of water is like entering a new dimension. But ill just chock that up with teenage intuition.

[@AsphaltAntelope]

Ok, can we talk about that awesome necklace?

[@patelkamlesh5970]

Hydrogen fuel cells gives the best combustion and forms Water after combustion What a wonderful compound is water .......

[@MrDmadness]

Hydrogen is actually not that great for a combustion engine as it burns too hot and has a low trough speed burn ratio. Great gas for cutting stuff though

[@ales888]

"It has at least sixty-six properties that make it really different from most other liquids." ... and we want to send humans to Mars...

[@brandon9635]

Water may be one of the most deadliest, toxic things in the universe but for us it's harmless, we'll never know

[@mubnathan5147]

Why do I feel thirsty after watching this? 😂

[@johnronnbioco6465]

Same 😂

[@leonardodavincithegenius4615]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/qWSnqXiCrcqGgs0 Water😅😅😅

[@josephd.4890]

She seems to have forgotten that water has to inter its 4th state before freezing! That's called exclusion zone water

[@dylanbiggs6958]

You should do some holistic investigations, water has memory and other properties also

[@peterhayman]

"we still dont understand why people click on clickbait knowing its clickbait..."

[@JamesMajdali]

So water is like fire? It's more of a reaction than a substance?

[@Rizzbulla]

That's some high quality H20.. MAMMA SAYS..

[@commentguy4711]

Underrated bro.

[@dominickray5103]

This is so funny because just the other day I was thinking about this as I was looking at my water bottle thinking about the nature of water. In this video popped up in my recommendations.

[@Zebred2001]

Considering that water is made of hydrogen and oxygen I could never understand why it doesn't burn freely like the Hindenburg!

[@kevinspl2000]

Read into Gibbs free energy and enthalpy for an explanation

[@FoodGurudevs]

A relationship should be like Hydrogen bond.. Pure..

[@leonardodavincithegenius4615]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/qWSnqXiCrcqGgs0

[@MCinO11]

"and we made from water everything alive" From the Quran.

[@jaquesaulait]

"Just add water" Pot Noodle.

[@joanpey8809]

@@jaquesaulait lol

[@mps2209]

So water is basically two couple molecules double dating.

[@marianoalippi5226]

It would be nice if you could travel by Elicopter to join the Swim crew. I think there is a lot to develop in that Seeker venture, but it takes a presenter like you.

[@PieterPatrick]

I like Seeker but... ...This host always make me feel like I'm in kindergarten. It sounds very patronizing and I will never understand why people talk like this. B.t.w.: I also hate it when people talk like this to children.

[@Jimmygarn]

I was wondering the same. Is it a special accent from somewhere? As a European I'm confused why someone would talk like this to other people.

[@apurba_boro]

So first today...😅

[@apurba_boro]

Second to comment

[@Okamikurainya]

All this water... You could say "thirst" as well. 😜

[@soulsfang]

All i got from this video is theres this weird two state model for water that might possibly explain some of it's quirks, without actually going into how it could explain those quirks, and about 4 minutes of intro to chem overview

[@mudhutproductions]

This has been very cool and very informative! Shine on!

[@EpicBenjo]

FIRST!!!

[@EpicBenjo]

LoL my absolute first time being first lol

[@Jjharrisonnz]

no, me

[@binaykumar139]

How bad could it get? 2020: water is not water

[@bobbydavis3777]

Hey Maren!!! Another great video!!!!! Your voice was made to teach lol

[@EverythingScience]

Cool Fact: A photon of light takes 100,000 years from the core of the Sun to get to it's surface but only eight minutes to get to the Earth

[@xenuno]

Only if that photon comes from the core. There isn't a zone on the sun that isn't emitting light. The origin of a photon could be from the core or from the surface or anywhere between due to the extreme heat from lower depths (aka incandescence). So it would be more accurate to say that a photon can take up to 100,000 years using your number to exit the sun proper. If the sun suddenly stopped fusing it would glow brightly for a very long time. Also .. if you could name then track the core photon (call him Joe), Joe would be long gone .. instead you would would see his offspring .. I'm guessing Joe the 100000th?

[@Schmexy]

“It just doesn’t make sense” Says every sceptic ever. 🤣🤣🤣

[@Sci-Co555]

omg i thought about it about a week ago and i had some vision about it but apparently i forgot so thank you so much

[@Divedown_25]

Why am I fascinated of that the books in the shelf are grouped in colors, not in subject or author but color

[@shufukillah6772]

Another interesting fact about water is that it is densest at 4 degrees Celsius (39 Fahrenheit), which means that as a lake or pond freezes over, the bottom will be warmest so fish can survive there.

[@prestonsdragon]

The concept of yin and yang is everywhere even with just water

[@armadasinterceptor2955]

"Even more exciting lasers"😆😆😆interesting

[@drVainMD]

I love Seeker’s videos, this one seemed a little off though. I felt it was somehow intentionally vague. Usually you guys are really good at adding specifics and granular level details in the explanations, this one seemed a little lacking though. Don’t get me wrong, I find the subject intriguing and want to know more, and certainly not dissing your talents or production quality, just feel it may have been rushed or incomplete or something. Still, very interested in knowing more about water and it’s oddities.

[@j.w.3882]

That’s one awesome color coded bookshelf!

[@jameswest4819]

Don't forget super-cooled water vapor in the atmosphere, Deuterium Oxide or Heavy Water, the heavier and not so heavy water. Liquid water not freezing when it is below freezing is also a phenomenon.

[@xLordxMarsx]

It makes me happy that water is now cool in my head

[@onderozenc4470]

In general, it is the Wanderwals interaction that gives rise bonding between the polar molecules. The specific Hydrogen bonds also gives rise to the extended bonding between two organic molecules owing to the reduced stiffness of the ionized Hydrogen bond in the water molecule.

[@DAMORBEL]

As a child I remember going to Mass one Sunday at a microscopic chapel and the sermon was about the silly things people say. The Priest illustrated this by repeating what he had heard while playing golf one day. One of the players was going on about how money was wasted transporting water and his idea was how much money could be saved by using dehydrated water instead of the real stuff! Well, since then I have heard much worse!

[@time-lapseseb1141]

Verry nice necklace!!! :) (featuring the Fibbonaci Spiral and sequence)

[@ehvway]

Great video I only missed the fact that alternating current / alternating magnetic fields in it can cook water, direct current in it breaks the hydro oxy bound

[@sforge2414]

Understanding water is the ultimate key to proving that Earth is a level plane of unknown depth/extent.

[@ambervale6172]

The only problem in the 2017 study that was mentioned is that only the OVERALL structure of water was solved. X-ray diffraction relies on shining a X-rays on an ice crystal, but these crystals contain thousands of water molecules, so the diffracted maps will slightly be blurry. Diffracting a single water molecule would be impossible because the diffraction map would be too weak to detect. What I would suggest to the researchers is to develop a method where a larger ice crystal is used. But all the water molecules are aligned properly. Then, diffract this ice crystal with X-rays while changing a single condition (temperature or pressure). This should help improve resolution of the diffraction map.

[@0987654321mnbvcxzmor]

It seams amazing all these unique properties water has and without which life would not be possible or at least not as good.

[@kevinbrowning1578]

Such an adorable dork. Thanks. Water is fascinating!

[@davidg4682]

People: Is water wet? Me: What is water?

[@AboveBeyondVapor]

Should be titled "Two State Model of Liquid Water." In low density areas, molecules line up more orderly due to polarity than higher density areas that are packed together chaotically.. The model is not accepted as consensus science, but recent sophisticated research seems to support the Two State Model. It might help explain weird properties of water like less dense solid form and surface tension qualities.

[@coolnegative]

🎶"Practical man, practical man, when he's underwater does he get wet, or does the water get him instead?"🎶

[@stuartie101]

1:54 Image someone throwing a glass of super cold water in your face! 🥶

[@OJASCKI]

It'd turn to ice crystals before it even got there

[@jokerace8227]

Yes, water is the most amazing molecular substance of all. Things like the triple state of water is also fascinating.

[@h7opolo]

4:11 abundant and bizarre. I'll concede.

[@gunston999]

I need a drink of water now.

[@balasubr2252]

Interesting discussion on the properties of matter. How about looking at the properties of energy in the words of a language, for example? Is there a Language Physics? Do words bond to create a material matter? Do they stick to the cells and become memories? Do memories of different biological membranes create muscle memories and awareness? Seeker ought to explore this phenomena of natural languages to help unravel the medium of linguistic perception for the benefit of humanity and humanities. Thanks for this great video.

[@MrDmadness]

We call water "the universal solvent" as it's the most abundant liquid on earth and has the most universal solubility. We compare densitys of all liquid AND solids to water. Air consequentially is the most abundant mixture on the planet and we compare properties and density of all other gasses to it.

[@honey4xi]

What makes the surface tension of water become stronger to stick together stronger to become ice as temperature is decreasing? On the other hand, the surface tension of water becomes weaker and weaker to melt ice to liquid as temperature is increasing.