Collaborate Disseminate
Harvard engineers have created a strange new “metafluid” – a liquid that can be programmed to change properties, like its compressibility, transparency, viscosity and even whether it’s Newtonian or not.Continue ReadingCategory: Materials, ScienceTags: … Continue reading Harvard’s bizarre “metafluid” packs programmable properties
In fluid dynamics, hard science often comes with dazzling aesthetic beauty – a fact the American Physical Society highlights annually with a photo/video contest. Here are this year’s winners – equal parts fascinating, hypnotic and visually stunning.Con… Continue reading Gallery of Fluid Motion: Science at its most visually stunning
We’re willing to bet you’ve never given much thought to how bugs urinate, but even if you did you probably wouldn’t imagine them using butt-based pinball paddles to flick drops of pee at 40 G’s, using physics never before seen in nature.Continue Readin… Continue reading Bug hacks physics with “butt flickers” to launch pee at 40 G’s
A large percentage of a building’s energy usage is consumed by heating and cooling, but a new dynamic shading system designed by researchers at the University of Toronto could help. Inspired by the skin of krill, the system uses cells of blooming pigme… Continue reading Low-energy fluidic cells could shade and cool buildings dynamically
Multiple people have recently shared this exciting demonstration (nitter) with us – visualizing airflow using a smartphone, called ‘background-oriented schlieren’. On a hot summer day, you might see waves in the …read more Continue reading Observe Airflow Using Smartphone And Background-Oriented Schlieren
Researchers at MIT have observed “electron whirlpools” for the first time. The bizarre behavior arises when electricity flows as a fluid, which could make for more efficient electronics.Continue ReadingCategory: Physics, ScienceTags: Electron Microscop… Continue reading Electron whirlpools: Scientists witness electricity behaving like water
Bubbles aren’t known for their lengthy lifespans, usually only giving a few seconds or minutes of childlike joy before they pop. But a team of French scientists has developed a new way to make longer-lasting bubbles, with the record holder surviving fo… Continue reading Tough new “gas marble” bubbles survive for over a year
It may be a bit gross, but mucus plays a key role in our bodies. Now, an MIT team has managed to create an artificial version of the stuff, and shown that it’s an effective antimicrobial – even more so than real mucus.Continue ReadingCategory: ScienceT… Continue reading Scientists produce artificial mucus with antimicrobial properties
Nobody likes needles – at best they’re an unpleasant means to an important end. Microneedle patches could be a painless alternative, and now researchers have developed a way to use them to detect biomarkers at much lower levels, without drawing blood.C… Continue reading Fluorescent microneedle patches detect biomarkers at much lower levels
Schlieren imaging is a technique for viewing the density of transparent fluids using a camera and some clever optical setups. Density of a fluid like air might change based on the composition of the air itself with various gasses, or it may vary as a result of a sound or …read more