Sharks have evolved some incredible fluid dynamical abilities. Instead of scales, their skin is covered in microscopic structures called denticles. To give you a sense of size, each denticle in Keep reading
Month: March 2025
Lighting a Match
The schlieren optical technique is ideal for visualizing differences in fluid density and is an important tool for revealing flows humans cannot see with their naked eyes. In this high Keep reading
The Capillary Channel Flow Experiment
Moving fluids around in microgravity can be a challenge. On Earth we experience buoyancy and other gravitational effects that dominate how fluids move. In space, on the other hand, the Keep reading
Fluid Fingers
Differences in viscosity or surface tension between two fluids can lead to finger-like instabilities. Here food dye placed on corn syrup forms narrow tendrils driven by the differing surface tensions Keep reading
What’s in a Splash?
A droplet falling onto a solid, dry surface seems like a simple situation, one that would be easy to understand. But splashes can be unpredictable. Velocity, viscosity, and surface tension Keep reading
Champagne Bubble Physics
Champagne is well-known for its effervescence, but its tiny bubbles do more than affect your sensation when sipping. Champagne bubbles form when carbon dioxide dissolved in the wine nucleates along Keep reading
Healing Bubbles
Soap bubbles are ephemeral creations. The slightest prick will send them tearing apart in the blink of an eye. It may come as a surprise, therefore, that dropping a water Keep reading
Pyrocumulus Clouds
Pyrocumulus clouds tower tall above a wildfire in these photos taken last week from an Oregon National Guard F-15C. Most cumulus clouds form when the sun-warmed surface heats air, causing Keep reading
How Patterns Repel Water
Superhydrophobic surfaces repel water. Both naturally occurring and manmade materials with this property share a common feature: micro- or nanoscale structures on their surface. Lotus and lily leaves are coated Keep reading
Does Liquid in a Vacuum Boil or Freeze?
What happens to a liquid in a cold vacuum? Does it boil or freeze? These animations of liquid nitrogen (LN2) in a vacuum chamber demonstrate the answer: first one, then Keep reading