Marangoni bursting takes place in alcohol-water droplets; as the alcohol evaporates, surface tension changes across the liquid surface, generating a flow that tears the original drop into smaller droplets. Here researchers add a twist to the experiment using PMMA, an additive that dissolves well in alcohol but poorly in water. As the alcohol evaporates, the PMMA precipitates back out of the water-rich droplet, forming yarn-like strands. (Image and video credit: C. Seyfert and A. Marin)
Lines of waves emerge from thick morning fog in this series by photographer Raf Maes. The eerie, slightly surreal images were captured in Venice, near Los Angeles. So often ocean photography features huge, turbulent breaking waves. I find it really neat to see these long, unbroken wave crests appearing from the mist. (Image credits: R. Maes; via Colossal)
Get lost in the beauty of our star with Seán Doran‘s film “One Month of Sun”. Constructed from more than 78,000 NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory images, the video shows solar activity from August 2014, particularly the golden coronal loops that burst forth from the sun’s visible surface. These bursts of hot plasma follow the sun’s magnetic field lines, often emerging from sunspots. (Image and video credit: S. Doran, using NASA SDO data; via Colossal)
Droplets infused with particles — like coffee — can leave complex stains once they evaporate. Here researchers show the complex cracking pattern that develops as a droplet with nanoparticles evaporates. The central image in the poster actually shows the drop’s pattern changing in time. The initial drop is shown at 9 o’clock, and as you move clockwise around the drop, time passes and the crack structure becomes more complex. What a neat way to visualize the changes! (Image and research credit: P. Lilin and I. Bischofberger)
A year ago I observed what a strange year 2020 had been, and in many ways, I could say the same of 2021. Before the pandemic, I spent quite a lot of time traveling. In 2021, the only nights I slept outside my own bed came on a long weekend up to the mountains with my family. But 2021 also saw a bit of a return to normalcy – I was giving keynote addresses and workshops again, albeit virtually. What will 2022 hold? Who knows?!
As per tradition, here are the top FYFD posts of 2021:
It’s an eclectic mix of topics this year: bizarre phenomena, stunning art, archaeological exploration, and a touch of biophysics!
If you enjoy FYFD, please remember that it’s primarily reader-supported. You can help support the site by becoming a patron, making a one-time donation, buying some merch, or simply by sharing on social media. And if you find yourself struggling to remember to check the website, remember you can get FYFD in your inbox every two weeks with our newsletter. Happy New Year!
(Image credits: mirage – D. Morris, sheep – L. Patel, pavement – Practical Engineering, Le Temps – T. Blanchard, insects – Ant Lab, Satellike – R. De Giuli, sea sponge – G. Falcucci et al., speaker – DAKD Jung, Stonehenge – T. Cox et al., butter – Art Insider)
Photographer Andrew McCarthy constructed this spectacular 300-megapixel image of our sun by compositing thousands of individual images. Sunspots, coronal mass ejections, and feathery convective swirls abound. Check out his site for prints of this and other celestial images! (Image credit: A. McCarthy; via Colossal)
Ever wanted to try your hand at making these cool billowing ink photos? Photographer Jason Parnell-Brookes has a detailed tutorial over at PetaPixel laying out the necessary tools and set-up. I haven’t tried this out myself, but I hope to! How about you? (Image credit: J. Parnell-Brookes; submitted by clogwog)
To take these high-resolution images of individual snowflakes, Nathan Myhrvold and his collaborators built a special camera. Their apparatus keeps the snowflakes chilled despite the strong illumination cast on them. It uses a 500 microsecond shutter and focus-stacking to produce incredibly detailed portraits of these ephemeral subjects. Each snowflake’s shape is the result of the temperature and humidity that crystal experienced as it grew. Since these are natural snowflakes, no two are alike, but, with enough environmental control, it is possible to make twin snowflakes. (Image credit: N. Myhrvold; via Colossal)
This one definitely belongs in the do-not-try-this-yourself category, but this Slow Mo Guys video of a colorful fire tornado is pretty spectacular. Using an array of different fuels and a ring of box fans, Gav sets up a vortex of flame that transitions smoothly from red all the way to blue. As he points out in the video, the translucency of the vortex is so good that you can see how the two sides of the vortex rotate! (Video credit: The Slow Mo Guys)
This short film from artist Thomas Blanchard focuses on carnivorous plants and their prey. These plants — including Venus fly traps, sundews, and pitcher plants — rely on fluids both to attract and capture their prey. Plants like the Venus fly trap build turgor pressure in their cells to move and prop open their leaves. Once triggered, a mechanical release allows the fluid pressure to snap the trap closed. Sweet-smelling fluids invite insects in, only to become nightmarishly difficult to escape once prey try to unstick themselves from the highly viscoelastic liquids. (Video and image credit: T. Blanchard; via Colossal)