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Soft Matter news
Programmable double-network gels: Interspecies interactions dictate structure, resilience and adaptability
A new study uncovers how fine-tuning the interactions between two distinct network-forming species within a soft gel enables programmable control over its structure and mechanical properties. The findings reveal a powerful ...
Soft Matter
May 6, 2025
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Manta ray group formations reveal how collective swimming affects propulsion efficiency
From bird flocking to fish schooling, many biological systems exhibit some type of collective motion, often to improve performance and conserve energy. Compared to other swimmers, manta rays are particularly efficient, and ...
General Physics
May 6, 2025
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Blood droplets on inclined surfaces reveal new cracking patterns
Drying droplets have fascinated scientists for decades. From water to coffee to paint, these everyday fluids leave behind intricate patterns as they evaporate. But blood is far more complex—a colloidal suspension packed ...
A scientific method for flawless cacio e pepe
The beloved Italian pasta cacio e pepe is perhaps best known for two things: being delicious and being frustratingly difficult to cook. At first glance, it looks like a simple recipe, containing only three ingredients: pasta, ...
Soft Matter
Apr 29, 2025
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Ultrafast optical technique reveals how electrical double layers form in liquids
Charged surfaces in contact with liquids—such as biological cell walls or battery electrodes—attract oppositely charged ions from the liquid. This creates two distinct charged regions: the surface itself and a counter-charged ...
Optics & Photonics
Apr 25, 2025
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Variation in exhaled droplet characteristics may explain why some people are disease 'superspreaders'
A team of infectious disease specialists and environmental engineers at Université Claude Bernard Lyon's, École Centrale de Lyon, in France, and the University of Rome La Sapienza, in Italy, has found via experiments that ...
Secrets of superfluid: How dipolar interactions shape two-dimensional superfluid behavior
In a recent study, researchers made a significant observation of the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless (BKT) phase transition in a 2D dipolar gas of ultracold atoms. This work marks a milestone in understanding how 2D superfluids ...
Soft Matter
Apr 17, 2025
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Unlocking coffee's potential: Physics offers a path to better brews
The cost of raw arabica beans, the core component of most coffee, has spiked in recent years due to four consecutive seasons of adverse weather. Climate change has added further strain, threatening the delicate temperature ...
General Physics
Apr 13, 2025
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Simulating the fluid dynamics of moving cells to map their location
As you read this sentence, trillions of cells are moving around in your body. From the red blood cells being pumped by your heart, to the immune cells racing across your lymphatic system, everything you need to live pulsates ...
Soft Matter
Apr 10, 2025
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Cross-sectional area variation as a key factor in pressure wave attenuation in bubbly flows: A theoretical analysis
Pressure waves propagating through bubble-containing liquids in tubes experience considerable attenuation. Researchers at the University of Tsukuba have derived an equation describing this phenomenon, demonstrating that beyond ...
Soft Matter
Apr 9, 2025
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Unveiling the physics of pour-over brewing: Thick water jets enhance coffee strength
Tens of billions of kilograms of coffee are consumed around the world each year. However, due to its very specific agricultural needs, coffee can be difficult to cultivate, and ongoing climate change threatens its growth.
Soft Matter
Apr 8, 2025
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From ketchup to concrete, rolling particles make suspensions more fluid
Lacquers, paint, concrete—and even ketchup or orange juice: Suspensions are widespread in industry and everyday life. By a suspension, materials scientists mean a liquid in which tiny, insoluble solid particles are evenly ...
Soft Matter
Apr 7, 2025
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Making the physics of glass more transparent
For centuries, humans have made use of glass in their art, tools, and technology. Despite the ubiquity of this material, however, many of its microscopic properties are not well understood, and it continues to defy conventional ...
Condensed Matter
Apr 7, 2025
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High-intensity shock tube reveals high-speed interface flow mechanism
Research teams have established a theoretical method for designing smooth curved wall surfaces with variable cross-section shock tubes, and developed an integrated, high-intensity multifunctional shock tube device. Led by ...
General Physics
Apr 7, 2025
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Enhancing heat transfer using the turbulent flow of viscoelastic fluids
Fluids play a crucial role in industrial processes like cooling, heating, and mixing. Traditionally, most industries would utilize Newtonian fluids—which have a constant viscosity—for such processes. However, many are ...
General Physics
Apr 4, 2025
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An exception to the laws of thermodynamics: Shape-recovering liquid defies textbooks
A team of researchers led by a physics graduate student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst made the surprising discovery of what they call a "shape-recovering liquid," which defies some long-held expectations derived ...
General Physics
Apr 4, 2025
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Riding the AI wave toward rapid, precise ocean simulations
AI has created a sea change in society; now, it is setting its sights on the sea itself. Researchers at Osaka Metropolitan University have developed a machine learning-powered fluid simulation model that significantly reduces ...
General Physics
Apr 3, 2025
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Crystal melting and the glass transition obey the same physical law
The melting of crystals is the process by which an increase in temperature induces the disruption of the ordered crystalline lattice, leading to the disordered structure and highly fluctuating dynamic behavior of liquids. ...
Vincent van Gogh's 'The Starry Night' is not a masterpiece when it comes to flow physics, researchers say
The Dutch master Vincent van Gogh may have painted one of Western history's most enduring works, but "The Starry Night" is not a masterpiece of flow physics—despite recent attention to its captivating swirls, according ...
General Physics
Apr 1, 2025
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A step toward plant-based gelatin: Gum tragacanth shows promise for reducing animal use
With increased awareness about food sources and their environmental impacts, replacing animal-derived products in food and drugs is a significant research area. One common—but often overlooked—animal protein is gelatin, ...
Soft Matter
Apr 1, 2025
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More news
Engineers redefine how heat transfers on advanced surfaces
Water movement on surfaces makes more electric charge than expected
Bubbles that break rules: A fluid discovery that defies logic
Physicists model how amorphous solids lose their stability
Other news
Tiny bubbles of gas reveal secrets of Hawaiian volcanoes
Fossil discovery in India extends the timeline of early dinosaurs
Voyager 1 revives backup thrusters before command pause
Reexamining a receptor linked to sepsis resolves contradictions regarding its binding interactions
Artificial intelligence and genetics can help farmers grow corn with less fertilizer
How a flexible protein domain links gene transcription and RNA processing
Durable catalyst boosts efficiency of high-temperature CO₂ conversion
