Last update:
Soft Matter news
Unveiling hedgehog topological defects in three dimensional glasses
I've always been fascinated by how materials break down, especially glasses and polymers that don't have a regular crystal structure. Unlike crystals, where we understand plasticity through things like dislocations, amorphous ...
Shape-shifting particles allow temperature control over fluid flow and stiffness
Imagine a liquid that flows freely one moment, then stiffens into a near-solid the next, and then can switch back with a simple change in temperature. Researchers at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular ...
Soft Matter
Jul 2, 2025
0
32
A new atomistic route to viscosity—even near the glass transition
We rarely think about how liquids flow—why honey is thick, water is thin or how molten plastic moves through machines. But for scientists and engineers, understanding and predicting the viscosity of materials, especially ...
Intercellular fluid flow, not just cell structure, governs how tissues respond to physical forces
Water makes up around 60% of the human body. More than half of this water sloshes around inside the cells that make up organs and tissues. Much of the remaining water flows in the nooks and crannies between cells, much like ...
Soft Matter
Jun 20, 2025
0
63
Message in a bubble: Physics enables encoding of messages in ice
Inspired by naturally occurring air bubbles in glaciers, researchers have developed a method to encode messages in ice.
General Physics
Jun 18, 2025
0
26
Physicists use 3D-printed spines to sculpt water surface through surface tension
Physicists at the University of Liège have succeeded in sculpting the surface of water by exploiting surface tension. Using 3D printing of closely spaced spines, they have combined menisci to create programmed liquid reliefs, ...
Soft Matter
Jun 17, 2025
0
40
Movement in an entangled cluster of worms: How active polymer chains can self-organize into solid-like clusters
Earthworms often form a cluster, from which they can barely free themselves. A similarly active, writhing structure forms when the tentacles of lion's mane jellyfish become entangled. Robotic grippers utilize this principle ...
Soft Matter
Jun 16, 2025
0
10
Universal law of quantum vortex dynamics discovered in superfluid helium
An international research collaboration featuring scientists from the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering and the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory has discovered a fundamental universal principle that governs how microscopic ...
Soft Matter
Jun 4, 2025
0
155
Symmetry breaking in meniscus splitting: Boundary conditions reveal surprising behavior
Everything in nature has a geometric pattern—from the tiger's stripes and spirals in flowers to the unique fingerprints of each human being. While these patterns are sometimes symmetrical, most of such patterns lack symmetry, ...
Soft Matter
Jun 4, 2025
0
2
Creating ice layer by layer: The secret mechanisms of ice formation revealed
Water is everywhere and comes in many forms: snow, sleet, hail, hoarfrost, and so on. However, despite water being so commonplace, scientists still do not fully understand the predominant physical process that occurs when ...
General Physics
Jun 4, 2025
0
7
Redefining physics to roll a ball vertically
Researchers from the University of Waterloo have achieved a feat previously thought to be impossible—getting a sphere to roll down a totally vertical surface without applying any external force.
General Physics
Jun 2, 2025
4
25
Your ketchup will see you now: Solid-phase properties reveal when yield stress fluids start to flow
Pounding on the bottom of a glass bottle of ketchup is one of life's small annoyances. Getting that sweet, red concoction from its solid phase to a liquid takes too long when you're hungry and could even require messy strategies ...
Friction variation creates Tête de Moine's signature cheese flowers
Tête de Moine, a semi-hard Swiss cheese that often finds its way onto charcuterie boards and salads, not only brings a rich, nutty and creamy flavor, but also adds a dramatic flare to the presentation. Instead of slicing, ...
Novel equation predicts how crystals and bubbles in magma alter seismic waves
A recent study has mathematically clarified how the presence of crystals and gas bubbles in magma affects the propagation of seismic P-waves. The researchers derived a new equation that characterizes the travel of these waves ...
Soft Matter
May 21, 2025
0
0
Physics advance details new way to control solid objects in liquid
Researchers have detailed the physics behind a phenomenon that allows them to create spin in liquid droplets using ultrasound waves, which concentrates solid particles suspended in the liquid. The discovery will allow researchers ...
Soft Matter
May 21, 2025
0
8
Scientists wash away mystery behind why foams are leakier than expected
Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have solved a long-standing mystery behind the drainage of liquid from foams. Standard physics models wildly overestimate the height of foams required for liquid to drain out ...
Soft Matter
May 19, 2025
0
3
Researchers uncover a mechanism enabling glasses to self-regulate their brittleness
Materials with self-adaptive mechanical responses have long been sought after in material science. Using computer simulations, researchers at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Hyderabad, now show how such ...
Soft Matter
May 19, 2025
0
23
Physicists determine how to cut onions with fewer tears
A team of physicists, biologists and engineers at Cornell University, in the U.S., has discovered some of the factors that lead to more or less spray when cutting onions and found a couple of ways to reduce the amount of ...
From landslides to pharmaceuticals: High-precision model simulates complex granular and fluid interactions
A research team from the School of Engineering at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology has developed a new computational model to study the movement of granular materials such as soils, sands and powders. By ...
General Physics
May 16, 2025
0
85
An 'invisible order' in glass shapes vibrations in the terahertz frequency range
Although glasses exhibit disordered atomic structures, X-ray and neutron scattering reveal a subtle periodicity. Researchers at the University of Tsukuba have demonstrated that this hidden periodicity—referred to as "invisible ...
General Physics
May 16, 2025
0
28
More news
A scientific method for flawless cacio e pepe
Making the physics of glass more transparent
Crystal melting and the glass transition obey the same physical law
Riding the AI wave toward rapid, precise ocean simulations
Other news
Rock art hints at the origins of Egyptian kings
Orange is the new aphrodisiac—for guppies
Ancient river systems reveal Mars was wetter than we thought
Why some genes are more error-prone: Scientists uncover hidden rule in DNA transcription
Thirty years of research shows increased resistance in fungi
Structure of tick-borne virus revealed at atomic resolution for the first time
A molecular switch packs DNA on time for cell division
