Since Michael Faraday, scientists have watched the curious patterns that form in a vibrating liquid. By adding floating particles to such a system, researchers have discovered spiky, hedgehog-like shapes that Keep reading
Tag: self-organization
Self-Assembly Under Stratification
Sometimes mistakes lead to great discoveries. After leaving a failed outreach demo overnight, researchers discovered a new mechanism for self-assembling particles. In the initial set-up, a layer of fresh water Keep reading
Floccing Particles
Adding particles to a viscous fluid can create unexpected complications, thanks to the interplay of fluid and solid interactions. Here we see a dilute mixture of dark spherical particles suspended Keep reading
Order in Chaos
Although turbulent flow is chaotic, it’s not completely disordered. In fact, order can emerge from turbulence, though exactly how this happens has been a long-enduring mystery. Take the animations above. Keep reading
PyeongChang 2018: Moguls
Moguls are bump-like snow mounds featured in freestyle skiing competitions and also frequently found on recreational ski courses. Although competition runs are man-made, most mogul fields form naturally on their Keep reading
Sand Ripples in Tidal Flats
Sand, winds, and waves can interact to form remarkable and complex patterns. These sand ripples from the tidal flats of Cape Cod are a testament to such interactions. When a Keep reading