Last update:
Soft Matter news
High-pressure setup unlocks detailed measurements of organized structures in turbulent flows
Turbulent flows are ubiquitous: they are found in clouds, in the ocean and even on other planets. Yet despite their chaotic nature, they also form large-scale structures that can be calculated and predicted. For example, ...
Soft Matter
Nov 9, 2026
0
8
From chaos to 'intelligent' soft matter—how tiny chemical differences guide droplets into ordered structures
Disorder can make sense, and understanding its logic can be genuinely useful. A study by a research group at the University of Trento shows how a minimal chemical difference can turn chaotic, disordered motion into a highly ...
General Physics
Nov 6, 2026
1
18
New X-ray method isolates faint signals from water at material surfaces
A research team from Toyohashi University of Technology, the Institute for Molecular Science and the Institute of Science Tokyo, led by Yu Kinjo and professor Ryugo Tero of Toyohashi University of Technology, has developed ...
Optics & Photonics
Oct 29, 2026
0
12
Explaining the difference between brittle and ductile behavior in polymer glasses
Glasses are (mostly) brittle, metals can be ductile (plastic), and liquids flow easily. Polymers are interesting because they exhibit all three types of behavior, depending on their chemical nature, temperature, and deformation ...
Identical vesicles, different behaviors: Model reveals how spontaneous asymmetry gives rise to lifelike behavior
In nonreciprocal active matter, agents act differently on each other, seemingly in violation of Newton's third law. This principle can result in various active matter traits, such as self-propulsion, molecular regulation ...
General Physics
Oct 27, 2026
0
17
Physicists reveal new paradigm for fiber growth in neurodegenerative diseases
Some proteins that are linked to neurodegenerative diseases can form both liquid droplets and amyloid fibers. But how are these two states connected, and where do the fibers grow? Leiden physicists Liru Feng and Louise Jawerth ...
General Physics
Oct 26, 2026
0
64
'Invisible' tweak could help make protein shakes less clumpy
Scientists from RMIT University and Riga Technical University in Latvia have shown that static charge left on surfaces can be controlled, which may have big benefits for companies needing to avoid the little zap in production ...
General Physics
Oct 21, 2026
0
13
Maxwell's demon learns to turn concealed information into usable energy for microscopic systems
Since its introduction more than 150 years ago, the thought-provoking idea of Maxwell's demon has profoundly shaped our understanding of the relationship between information and energy. Maxwell's demon is an imagined microscopic ...
General Physics
Oct 16, 2026
1
123
Storing memory on a chip with flowing water
Like the folds in crumpled sheets or the footprints on recently trodden sand, certain materials mark their histories. Now, Yale researchers show that networks of flowing water and other fluids can store their own memories—similar ...
General Physics
Oct 14, 2026
2
19
Robotic 'time crystal' organizes itself into a single rhythm despite random disturbances
Scientists have developed a material that can grow and coordinate its own movement until the entire structure pulses in unison, paving the way for versatile robots that behave more like living systems.
Condensed Matter
Oct 14, 2026
0
34
Gravity and light reveal how liquids turn into thin fibers
From spiders spinning their webs to the manufacturing of textiles, the formation of fibers from liquids plays an important role in both nature and industry. Yet accurately predicting the properties of such fibers remains ...
Soft Matter
Oct 8, 2026
0
12
What pig hearts and a little noise can teach us about designing better soft valves
Some of the best engineers and inventors are copycats. They look at how the natural world solves complex problems and use those mechanisms as the basis for innovations. But Mother Nature doesn't always give up her secrets ...
Whirlpool in a water tank reveals long-predicted wave turbulence
When water drains from a bathtub, a whirlpool often forms above the drain, and its narrow core can start to wobble and twist. For almost 150 years, physicists have predicted that these wobbles can become turbulent, passing ...
From swarming bacteria to tissue cells, living matter defies classic physical models of motion
A new study led by researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) reveals that living matter violates previously known physical principles of symmetry when cellular flows form and break down collective patterns. ...
General Physics
Sep 22, 2026
0
56
Cooling liquids reveal self-limiting particle clusters behind glass transition
Before diving into the mystery of glass, theoretical physicist Corentin Laudicina takes us back to high school physics for a moment. Although he has spent years studying exactly what happens in a material during the glass ...
General Physics
Sep 20, 2026
0
43
Roll waves emerge as uniform water flow destabilizes on steep slopes, equations show
When it rains, traveling waves appear on steep asphalt pavement, slowly making their way down the slope. Because these so-called "roll waves" propagate without deforming and are typically characterized by abrupt discontinuities, ...
General Physics
Sep 16, 2026
0
14
Sliding droplets point to charging mechanism beyond mobile ions
Whether on a windowpane at home or during the industrial cleaning of computer chips: droplets sliding over solid surfaces become electrically charged. Yet the physical mechanism behind this charging remains a subject of debate. ...
Condensed Matter
Sep 16, 2026
0
12
New simulations link unusual particle diffusion to yielding in soft jammed matter
Soft materials such as colloidal suspensions, emulsions, foams and gels often display complex and unusual behaviors compared with ordinary solids or liquids. From a mechanical point of view, for instance, they can resist ...
Soft Matter
Sep 16, 2026
0
11
From atomic vibrations to laboratory mechanics: Bridging 20 orders of magnitude in time
How can we predict the way a real material, such as a polymer, responds mechanically over timescales ranging from the ultrafast motion of atoms to the slow deformations measured in a laboratory? This is a deceptively difficult ...
Tiny polymer particles keep water jets stable for longer
Tiny, soft polymer particles—known as microgels—can help to stabilize extremely thin liquid jets. How this works is the finding of a study led by researchers at TU Darmstadt, which has been published in Nature Communications. ...
Condensed Matter
Sep 7, 2026
0
11
More news
Century-old physics idea explains why cubic fluid equations work
Tiny particles defy action-reaction symmetry to stay in motion
Chocolate syrup-like fluid stores multiple interacting memories
Other news
Earth's 'core carbon' may have come from the far reaches of the solar system
Poles of bacteria imaged in fine detail for the first time
Airborne imaging explores a mosaic of thawing permafrost
LHC collaboration presents first result in the hunt for 'quirks'
Mathematical method sharpens X-ray images at the nanoscale
Simulated moon dust turned into LEGO-like blocks for settlements
Quantum could solve AI energy drain, says tech founder
Simulations cast doubt on unusual asteroid's 'dark comet' status
Laser-driven magnetic state defies equilibrium rules
