A TWO DIMENSIONAL BOSE EINSTEIN CONDENSATE (BEC) has been observed by a University of Turku (Finland)--Kurchatov Institute (Russia) collaboration. The condensate occurred in hydrogen atoms sitting on top of a layer of liquid helium-4 at a temperature of 120-200 mK (Safonov et al., Physical Review Letters, 23 November 1998). Strong magnetic fields force the nuclei and electron spins of the hydrogen atoms to align. Magnetic fields also help to herd the atoms together into a small portion of the helium surface, achieving the density needed to begin the process of atom overlap at the heart of the BEC process. Explanations for this type of 2D quantum fluid are lacking. (Physics World, Feb 1999.)