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Question:
Is it possible for a liquid-like metal which can change forms, like in the movie Terminator 2, to exist.


Replies:
The only metal we know of that is a liquid at room temperature is mercury. Gallium is a liquid at slightly higher temperatures. There are certain alloys that can "remember" different shapes and switch between them under certain conditions, but it is all very limited so far. But of course we have not really gone very far in investigating what might be possible by combining the complexity of biological systems with the metallic state - it could be something like what you saw in the movie is possible, but we sure do not know of anything at all like it yet.

Arthur Smith


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