By looking through lots of previous studies and research, the team found clues about dust sponginess from different observations and space missions.
Their findings suggest that lots of dust grains in space are not tiny, compact rocks but instead, fluffy sponges.
That changes how much surface they have to help chemical reactions, how they stick together to form planets and how easily they can break apart.
Dr Alexey Potapov, the lead author of the research, says it “could radically change our understanding of how molecules form and evolve in space”.
However, not all astronomers are convinced by the new evidence about space dust sponginess.
That’s because they say that if cosmic dust was spongy, then it would make the dust grains too cold or fragile to match what telescopes have observed.
The astronomers and astrochemists behind this review say they need to do more laboratory work and modelling to learn more.