Physicists have discovered three new types of ice, including two of the most complex ice phases ever seen. The discovery was made using improved experimental techniques and new techniques. The shape of water makes it exceptionally versatile, allowing it to combine in many configurations. An international research group from Europe and Japan created an ambitious computer simulation to predict undiscovered forms of ice. The result was a catalog of over 75,000 phases, each different way the water molecules could fit together when subjected to a different combination of temperature and pressure. However, scientists do not expect to find anywhere near that many phases in nature.