You may have seen the viral videos of photographers freezing soap bubbles during a recent Snowmageddon. They’re magical, turning into ethereal globes filled with ice crystals when the surrounding temperature is just right.

Unlike water droplets, puddles or other liquid surfaces, the thin, rounded shape of bubbles makes them poor heat conductors. So when soap bubbles freeze, lacy crystals break off from cooler points on the surface and swirl around on currents of warmer liquid. Recently, scientists set out to explain the transfer of heat that affects how bubbles freeze.

“We’ve seen the unique freezing dynamics of bubbles in nature, but we’ve never understood the physics behind it,” said Jonathan Boreyko, who studies condensation and frost phenomena at Virginia Tech.

Dr. Boreyko and colleagues’ results, published Tuesday in Nature Communications, make for fascinating viewing. The study could also have applications for flash freezing food, creating tastier ice cream or even developing antifreeze materials.