A thin, watery layer coating the surface of ice is what makes it slick. Despite a great deal of theorizing over the centuries, though, it isn't entirely clear why that layer forms.

The reason we can gracefully glide on an ice-skating rink or clumsily slip on an icy sidewalk is that the surface of ice is coated by a thin watery layer. Scientists generally agree that this ...

Wind in my face, the crunch of ice and the sun on my back — what better way to spend a Saturday morning? Last weekend, I teetered precariously on my rental figure skates across Lake Morey as couples, ...

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For nearly two centuries, students have been taught that ice is slippery because pressure or friction melts a thin surface layer into water. But a team at Saarland University has now overturned this ...