SciGlow is a newsletter of science stories from the major research labs. Headlines link to in-depth articles and editorials. SciGlow keeps scientists and others up-to-date on current research.
Inspired by their use in mechanical systems, Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers are testing a magnetically-actuated fluidic valve to use in trauma patients suffering from hemorrhage. Yonatan Tekleab and his colleagues will explain how the valve works at the American Physical Society’s Division of Fluid Dynamics 72nd Annual Meeting on Nov. 25 at the Washington … Read more
Computational fluid dynamics can be used to study how extinct animals used to swim. Scientists studied 65 million-year-old cephalopod fossils to gain deeper understanding of modern-day cephalopod ecosystems. Three scientists affiliated with the University of Utah’s department of geology and geophysics will present research on the width, coil diameter and the overall structure of the prehistoric cephalopods … Read more
How can you tell when a storm is going to produce a tornado even before the twister forms? Research from Oklahoma State University and University of Nebraska-Lincoln indicates prior to tornado formation, storms emit low-frequency sounds. Brian Elbing, Christopher Petrin and Matthew Van Den Broeke will present their studies on the potential fluid mechanisms behind … Read more
The shrinking of the clouds of the Great Red Spot on Jupiter has been well documented with photographic evidence from the last decade. However, researchers said there is no evidence the vortex itself has changed in size or intensity. Philip Marcus, from the University of California, Berkeley, will explain why the pictures from astronomers, both … Read more
Encased in a neon orange plastic shell, a collection of electronic sensors bobbed along the surface of the Monterey Bay, waiting to be retrieved by Stanford University researchers. A lunchbox-sized speck in the vast waters, it held cargo of outsized importance: the first-ever recording of a blue whale’s heart rate. This device was fresh off … Read more
Providing seeds with a protective coating that also supplies essential nutrients to the germinating plant could make it possible to grow crops in otherwise unproductive soils, according to new research at MIT. A team of engineers has coated seeds with silk that has been treated with a kind of bacteria that naturally produce a nitrogen … Read more
In a world of rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, plants should be happy, right? Experiments have shown that, yes, increased carbon dioxide does allow plants to photosynthesize more and use less water. But the other side of the coin is that warmer temperatures drive plants to use more water and photosynthesize less. So, which … Read more
Researchers from Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) and ZSL (Zoological Society of London) have worked with a team of scientists from institutions across the globe – to uncover the truth behind the origin of venom in some very unusual mammals. As outlined in a paper published today in PNAS, the team focused their attention on … Read more
Crystallization describes the formation of ordered structures from the disordered constituents of a liquid. Although the fundamental theory of crystal formation has been widely investigated and is generally well established, gaps in the understanding still remain. Researchers from The University of Tokyo, Institute of Industrial Science, and Tokyo Metropolitan University have reported experimental findings that … Read more
A collaboration at University of Michigan is taking a unique approach to fluid mechanics by teaching it through dance. Fluid mechanics professor Jesse Capecelatro and choreographer Veronica Stanich, both from the University of Michigan, teamed up to create Kármán Vortex Street, a dance improvisation guided by physics properties. “Social dances, such as tango, have a collection of … Read more