摘要: The properties of hot melts--from volcanic lava to liquid steel--are difficult investigate with standard techniques. In his Perspective, [Kieffer][1] stresses the advantages modern spectroscopic methods for elucidating such melts. He highlights report by [ Sinn et al .][2] inelastic x-ray scattering on levitated samples, which overcomes many experimental problems. Together computer simulations, these experiments are providing detailed insights into molecular melts. [1]: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/299/5615/1998 [2]: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/299/5615/2047