When the right nutrients come together in coastal waters, it can feed a phytoplankton bloom large enough to be visible to satellites. The phytoplankton themselves are microscopic organisms that are Keep reading
Month: September 2024
Hummingbird Hovering
Hummingbirds have a unique way of flying among birds. By flapping in a figure-8 motion, they generate lift on both the upstroke and the downstroke, which enables them to fly Keep reading
The Dance of the Droplets
Milk and juice vibrating on a speaker can put on a veritable fireworks display of fluid dynamics. Vibrating a fluid can cause small standing waves, called Faraday waves, on the Keep reading
Cloud Formation
Clouds are so ubiquitous here on Earth that it’s easy to take them for granted. But there’s remarkable complexity in the mechanics of their formation. This great video from Minute Keep reading
Dead Water
Sailors have long known about the “dead water” phenomenon, which can bring ships to a near-standstill, but it was only within the last century that an explanation for the behavior Keep reading
Why Joints Pop
Joints like our knuckles are lubricated with liquid called the synovial fluid. When manipulated, these joints can pop or crack audibly. For half a century, researchers have thought the cracking Keep reading
Espresso in Space
The International Space Station resupply mission launched yesterday included a long-awaited fluid dynamics experiment that offers astronauts a taste of home: the ISSpresso espresso machine. Built by two Italian companies, Keep reading
Newtonian and Non-Newtonian Vortices
Not all vortex rings are created equal. Despite identical generation mechanisms and Reynolds numbers, the two vortex rings shown above behave very differently. The donut-shaped one, on the top left Keep reading
Growing Icicles
For those from colder climates, icicles are a familiar part of winter. They come in a multitude of shapes and sizes, many of which have been captured and cataloged in Keep reading
Blast Waves Visualized
Typically, shock waves are invisible to the human eye. Using sensitive optical techniques like schlieren photography, researchers in a lab can visualize sharp density gradients like shock waves or even Keep reading