The physics of how gentoo penguins can swim speedily underwater
Enlarge / Gentoo penguins are the world's fastest swimming birds, thanks to the unique shape and structure of their wings. Gentoo penguins are the world's fastest swimming birds, clocking in at maximum underwater speeds of up to 36 km/h (about 22 mph). That's because their wings have evolved into flippers ideal for moving through water…
Why champagne has stable “bubble chains” and other carbonated drinks do...
Enlarge / Researchers investigated the stability of bubble chains in carbonated drinks like champagne and sparkling wine.Madeline Federle and Colin Sullivan Brown University physicist Roberto Zenit has a knack for tying his fundamental fluid dynamics research to everyday phenomena, like enjoying a glass of champagne with friends. He noticed one day that the bubbles rising to…
Georgia Tech physicists unlock the secret to perfect wok-tossed fried rice
Enlarge / Wok tossing has long been suspected of causing the high shoulder injury rate among Chinese chefs.Hunting Ko and David Hu/Georgia Tech Fried rice is a classic dish in pretty much every Chinese restaurant, and the strenuous process of tossing the rice in a wok over high heat is key to producing the perfect…
Physicists determine the optimal soap recipe for blowing gigantic bubbles
Enlarge / Physicist Justin Burton (left) experiments with giant soap bubbles on Emory University's Quad with graduate student Stephen Frazier. Everybody loves bubbles, regardless of age—the bigger the better. But to blow really big, world-record-scale bubbles requires a very precise bubble mixture. Physicists have determined that a key ingredient is mixing in polymers of varying…
Physics suggests a few of Earth’s earliest animals assisted each other...
Enlarge / The result of a fluid mechanics simulation with multiple Erniettas. Dave Mazierski What drove the evolution of the earliest animal life? In modern animals, it's easy to infer a lot about an organism's lifestyle based on its anatomy. Even back in the Cambrian, with its large collection of bizarre looking creatures, these inferences…