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bradmajors69 t1_ispuid2 wrote

Reply to comment by foxyfoo in Scientists Engineer Bacteria to Recycle Plastic Waste Into Valuable Chemicals by izumi3682

Reminds me of that Vonnegut book where a nifty new useful chemical called Ice 9 gets out of hand and sterilizes the planet. (IIRC)

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dunkybones t1_ispv83w wrote

Cat's Cradle is the novel you are thinking of.

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Darryl_Lict t1_isqujxt wrote

There is actually a real ice 9 known as ice IX. Fortunately it doesn't have the same characteristic as Vonnegut's version. It exists at crazy low temperatures and super high pressures.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_IX

Ice exhibits at least eighteen phases (packing geometries), depending on temperature and pressure.

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majnuker t1_isq0oaz wrote

It also is reminiscent of the Andromeda Strain which rapidly mutates into being airborne and then out of being deadly/eating stuff. Fantastic book.

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skubaloob t1_isqnn6d wrote

Ice 9 was ice which froze things solid at high temperatures. Damn Army complaining about mud ended the world

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