Celebrating the physics of all that flows with Nicole Sharp, Ph.D.
- Profile
“Playing With Time”
The Macro Room team is back with this clever video that messes with our perception of time. I’d hate to give anything away here, so just go check it out! (Image and video credit: Macro Room)
When Rivers Break Their Banks
Rivers often change their course, but they do not always do so gradually. River avulsions are a bit like earthquakes — they happen suddenly and with disastrous potential. Researchers find that these sudden course changes happen when silt builds up in a river and reduces the amount of water it can carry. Eventually, the resistance…
Springtails Jump Off Water
Springtails are tiny hexapods often found near water, where they execute their superpower: backflipping off the water’s surface. When standing on the water, the springtail’s hydrophilic claws protrude beneath the water surface and give it traction. But its spring-loaded furcula is hydrophobic, so when it snaps down it strikes the water without breaking through. The…
When Squids Fly
Some species of squid fly at speeds comparable to a motorboat for distances of 50 meters. The cephalopods get into the air the same way they swim underwater: by expelling a jet of water through the center of their body. Once aloft, the squids spread their tentacles to form a semi-rigid wing-like surface for lift.…
The Variable Venusian Day
Venus is a thoroughly unpleasant place thanks to its hellish temperatures and acidic clouds, but a new study adds another wrinkle to our strange sister planet: Venus’s day varies by up to 21 minutes in length. This peculiar factoid is the result of 15 years spent monitoring Venus’s rotation via radar. Previous attempts to pin…
“Phoenix Rising”
This aerial photo of Lake Owens by Paul Hoelen won a 2020 Drone Photo Award in the Abstract category. As Hoelen notes, “The phoenix rising is a symbol of re-emergence from the ashes of fire.” Lake Owens was used for years in mining and other industries, which left the lake desiccated and depleted. But nature…
Flamingo Filter-Feeding
Flamingoes are strange and ungainly creatures, but their hooked bills make much more sense when you see them eating underwater. The birds are filter feeders, and they suck water, mud, and silt in through the front of their bills and pump it back out the sides. In between hairy structures called lamellae help them separate…
Levitating Cylinders by Lubrication
Here’s a surprising example of defying gravity: if you coat a vertical treadmill in oil, a cylinder held next to it will levitate! A new paper delves into the mathematics behind this surprising situation, showing that the key to keeping the cylinder aloft is the pressure that forms where the oil layer splits around the…
Pipe Flow and Pressure
Whether you’re a homeowner or an engineer, at some point you’ll have to deal with pipe flow and the challenges inherent to getting water from Point A to Point B. This Practical Engineering video provides a great basic overview of pipe flow and pressure loss, whether you’re looking for an introduction to the topic or…