Sliding on Fibers

Water drops slide down spiderwebs, along the spines of desert plants, and across the armored exterior of horned lizards. Thin, grooved surfaces like these pop up frequently in nature when organisms need to direct water. A recent study of droplets sliding on fibers suggests why. (Image and research credit: M. Leonard et al.; via Physics World) Read the full article

Beijing 2022: Ice's Slideability

As scientists continue to unravel the peculiarities of ice, they've found that ice's friction depends both on the object sliding on it and the ice's hardness.  (Image credit: SHVETS Productions; research credit: R. Liefferink et al.; via APS Physics; submitted by Kam-Yung Soh) Read the full article

Beijing 2022: Monobob

Bobsleigh, as a discipline, has been dominated in recent years by teams seeking every aerodynamic advantage to shave hundredths of a second off their runs. So it's fascinating that the newest event in the discipline -- the women-only monobob -- cuts away that secretive part of the sport by permitting sleds from only one manufacturer. (Image credit: OIS) Read the full article