Scientists applied an unusual mathematical approach in the equations of spacetime curvature and obtained a new type of charged black hole. Their behavior turned out to be surprisingly familiar: this is how Water in a pot behaves when it starts to boil. At a certain combination of pressure, volume, and temperature, the difference between a "liquid" and "gaseous" black hole vanishes. This is exactly like the critical point of water: steam and liquid become indistinguishable.

Even Stephen Hawking and Jacob Bekenstein proved that black holes have temperature and entropy (a measure of disorder). The new research adds that the transitions between states of these objects obey the same laws as steam boiling. Most unexpectedly: if you remove the mathematical "seasoning" from the calculations, the black hole behaves exactly like an ideal gas describing the transformation of water into steam.