Rockets operate on a pretty simple principle: if you throw something out the back really fast, the rocket goes forward. Practically speaking, we accomplish this with a combination of chemistry Keep reading
Month: December 2023
How the Jellyfish Stings
Many jellyfish are capable of venomously stinging both their prey and their predators. The stings originate from specialized cells in their tentacles called nematocysts (middle image) that, when activated, rapidly Keep reading
Growing Droplets on a Trampoline
Droplets on a liquid surface will typically coalesce, thanks to gravity and the low viscosity of the air layer between them and the pool. In certain cases, droplets will partially Keep reading
When Vortices Collide
In a new ad campaign for paint manufacturer Sherwin-Williams, the production team at Psyop show off some awesome fluid dynamics by swirling and injecting paint underwater. You can see one Keep reading
Gravity Waves on Mars
It may look like grainy, black and white static from a 20th-century television, but this animation shows what may be the first view of gravity waves seen from the ground Keep reading
The Flying Draco
Nature includes many animals that are so-called fliers: flying squirrels, flying snakes, and draco lizards, to name a few. These animals aren’t true fliers like birds, bats, or insects, though. Keep reading
How We Sweat
Sweat plays a critical role in controlling body temperature for humans. Most of the sweat glands on our bodies are eccrine sweat glands, which pump out a mixture of water Keep reading
Avoiding Coalescence
Droplets hitting a liquid surface don’t always coalesce. Above you can see a tiny droplet bounce and skate along the surface of a larger, vibrating drop. The smaller droplet doesn’t Keep reading
Reducing Drag with Bubbles
Large ships experience a great deal of drag due to friction between their hull and the water. One method shipbuilders are considering to combat this drag is the use of Keep reading
Hawaii’s Lava
Sometimes the best way to appreciate a flow is standing still. In “Hawaii – The Pace of Formation” filmmakers explore how the Big Island is constantly changing, from fresh lava Keep reading