Seeking Mars' Past

Although Mars is quite dry and inhospitable today, our rovers continue to search for evidence of a past Mars that could have sustained life. A recent study suggests that, at least in Gale Crater, the opportunities for life to flourish may have been short-lived.  (Image credit: NASA; research credit: D. Burtt et al.; via Gizmodo) Read the full article

Herding Sheep

Flocks of birds, schools of fish, and herds of sheep all resemble fluids at times, and physicists have been trying to recreate their collective motion for decades. Many of these models simplify the animals into particles that follow simple rules based on the direction and speed of their neighbors. (Image credit: E. Osmanoglu; via Physics World) Read the full article

Non-Newtonian Raindrops

Fluids like air and water are called Newtonian because their viscosity does not vary with the force that's applied to them. But many common fluids -- almost everything in your fridge or bathroom drawer, for example -- are non-Newtonian, meaning that their viscosity changes depending on how they're deformed. (Image, video, and research credit: S. Arora and M. Driscoll) Read the full article

Who Killed the Colorado River?

From its source high in the snowy Rocky Mountains, the Colorado River runs through two countries and five states on its way to the Gulf of California. Or at least it used to. The river hasn't met the sea in decades.  (Video and image credit: PBS Terra) Read the full article

"Chemical Somnia"

Under a macro lens, even a petri dish worth of fluids comes vividly to life. Here, artist Scott Portingale explores crystallization, Marangoni effects, and other phenomena alongside a haunting soundtrack from musician Gorkem Sen. Enjoy! (Image and video credit: S. Portingale et al.) Read the full article

Sea Ice Swirls

Fragments of sea ice tumble and swirl in this satellite image of Greenland's east coast. In spring, Arctic sea ice journeys down the Fram Strait between Greenland and Svalbard. Along the way, large ice floes break -- and melt -- into smaller pieces.  (Image credit: W. Liang; via NASA Earth Observatory) Read the full article

Lenticular Landscape

Mountain ridgelines push oncoming winds up and over their peaks, creating the conditions for some spectacular condensation. If the displaced air is moist enough, it cools and condenses into a cloud that appears to hover over the peak.  (Image credit: satellite image - L. Dauphin, b/w - National Library; via NASA Earth Observatory) Read the full article

Waves Break Up Floating Rafts

Small particles can float on a liquid, held together as a raft through capillary action. But those rafts -- the the tea skin below -- break up when waves jostle them. (Image and research credit: L. Saddier et al.; via APS Physics) Read the full article

Feeding Hurricanes

With the strong hurricane season pummeling the southern U.S. this year, you may have heard comments about how warm oceans are intensifying hurricanes. Let's take a look at how this works. (Image credit: W. Liang; via NASA Earth Observatory) Read the full article