Life is just a theory
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reblogged: spaceplasma
A Burning Candle In Zero-Gravity
The results of a Burning and Suppression of Solids (BASS) experiment demonstrates that in zero-gravity—where heat doesn’t rise—a flame burns in a uniform oval.
Credit: Col. Chris Hadfield
May
20th, 2013
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reblogged: freshphotons
“Modeling the physics of foams and foamlike materials, such as soapy froths, fire retardants, and lightweight crash-absorbent structures, presents challenges, because of the vastly different time and space scales involved. By separating and coupling these disparate scales, we have designed a multiscale framework to model dry foam dynamics. This leads to a predictive and flexible computational methodology linking, with a few simplifying assumptions, foam drainage, rupture, and topological rearrangement, to coupled interface-fluid motion under surface tension, gravity, and incompressible fluid dynamics.” Via.
May
17th, 2013
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This is what happens when you frustrate a laser! In physics, the term “geometric frustration” refers to a situation where some ordered system can’t settle in to one single ground state. Scientists want to find out more about frustration because they think it may contribute to several unexplained phenomena, including high-temperature superconductivity.
To create a model for this type of system, physicists set up 1500 different lasers in set patterns. As an APS Physics Synopsis explains,
By changing the position of the laser cavity output mirror, the authors could couple the lasers together by allowing light to leak from one laser to its neighbors. As the lasers go in and out of phase, patterns of optical interference change in the laser output.
This creates the lovely images seen above. If you have a subscription, you can read more about the study in Physical Review Letters. Or just check out the full Physics Synopsis.
May
8th, 2013
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Ferrofluids are cool—period. I will never get tired of posting about them. In this video, Mark Miodownik puts this magnetic material through its paces, explaining how a liquid can respond to a magnetic field. Bonus points for the jazzy background music.
May
7th, 2013
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Now THAT is a tiny robot! Inspired by the agility of flies, researchers have built light, maneuverable flying robots—or flybots, if you will.
The mechanical bugs flap their wings to hover, but all that whirring takes energy. To stay afloat, they need a slim tether connected to an external power source.
You can read more about the flybots in the journal Science.
May
3rd, 2013
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A Boy and His Atom
This is the world’s smallest movie, a stop-motion film that IBM made by manipulating individual atoms.
Let’s just sit here and digest that for a while. We humans can move individual atoms around with incredible precision…and we use this fantastic ability to make adorable and dorky videos. Living in the future is so fricking awesome!
You can read more how the movie was made and filmed at Scientific American’s Observations blog.
May
1st, 2013
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reblogged: crookedindifference
Magnetic Putty is Completely Amazing/Terrifying
Magnetic putty is just like any other putty in that you can handle it, sculpt it, and squeeze it in a fist as you visualize your enemies. But place it anywhere near a strong magnetic field and it will SPONTANEOUSLY ANIMATE and move to consume anything magnetic in its path like a voracious mutated slug. In fact the putty won’t stop moving until the object has been equally engulfed on all sides.
Apr
22nd, 2013
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Adaptive Material Inspired by Tears
Imagine a tent that blocks light on a dry and sunny day, and becomes transparent and water-repellent on a dim, rainy day. Or highly precise, self-adjusting contact lenses that also clean themselves. Or pipelines that can optimize the rate of flow depending on the volume of fluid coming through them and the environmental conditions outside.
A team of researchers at the Wyss Institute at Harvard Univ. and Harvard’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) just moved these enticing notions much closer to reality by designing a new kind of adaptive material with tunable transparency and wettability features, as reported in the online version of Nature Materials.
Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/04/adaptive-material-inspired-tears
Apr
22nd, 2013
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reblogged: late-night-homework
Apr
15th, 2013
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reblogged: jtotheizzoe
Myosin-V walks like “Mr. Natural” as it tilts and wobbles to complete its step. This cover was inspired by the cover for the record album, “Truckin’ My Blues Away”, drawn by the cartoonist Robert Crumb. Via.
Easily the best scientific journal cover I’ve seen this year. It’s like Dr. Seuss crossed with biology class.
Ahaha, awesome!
Mar
26th, 2013
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