The elongated cells of Spirostomum ambiguum swim using hair-like cilia, but when threatened, the cells contract violently, sending out long-range hydrodynamic waves, like those visualized above. Along with these waves, the Keep reading
Tag: swimming
Review: “How to Walk on Water and Climb Up Walls”
“An eight-year-old girl kicked her feet back and forth on the seat of a Long Island Railroad train. I beckoned her to cover over and pointed to the top of Keep reading
Reducing Viscosity With Bacteria
Conventional wisdom – and the Second Law of Thermodynamics – require all fluids to have viscosity, with the noted and bizarre exception of superfluids, which can flow with zero viscosity. In Keep reading
Swimming, Cycling, and Sailing
Summer brings with it lots of great sports, and whether you love riding a bike, sailing a boat, or just hanging out at the pool, our latest FYFD/JFM video has Keep reading
The Swimming of a Dead Fish
When I was a child, my father would take me trout fishing, and I spent hours marveling from the riverbank at the trouts’ ability to, seemingly effortlessly, hold their position Keep reading
Leaping Mobulas
Mobula rays are second only to manta rays in size, and, unlike their larger cousins, relatively little is known about them. Like other rays, they propel themselves by flapping their Keep reading
Building Smart Swimmers
Scientists have long wondered whether the schooling of fish is driven by hydrodynamic benefits, but the complexity of their environment makes unraveling this complex motion difficult. A recent study uses Keep reading
The Many Shapes of Fish
After visiting an aquarium or snorkeling near a reef, you may have wondered why fish come in so many different shapes. Given that all fish species need to get around Keep reading
Can Zooplankton Mix Oceans?
Krill and other tiny marine zooplankton make daily migrations to and from the ocean surface. Previously, models of ocean mixing ignored these migrations; these animals are tiny, researchers argued, so Keep reading
Nautilus Swimming
The shellbound chambered nautilus is a champion of underwater jet propulsion. It can eke out efficiencies as high as 75%, far outclassing other jet-based swimmers like squid, salps, and jellyfish. Keep reading