This liquid mixture consistently took the shape of a Grecian urn The liquid defied thermodynamics by not minimising ...

In a surprising twist, a graduate student at UMass Amherst discovered a strange new fluid behavior that seems to defy thermodynamics. While experimenting with oil, water, and magnetized nickel ...

He made his mixture, shook it up—"and, in a complete surprise, the mixture formed this beautiful, pristine urn-shape." No matter how many times or how hard he shook, the urn shape always returned.

A graduate student accidentally created a blend of oil, water and nickel particles that formed an unexpected shape.