droplet ballet

April 9, 2015 11:40 AM

"The Mystery of the Dancing Droplets"

Nature: Vapour-mediated sensing and motility in two-component droplets,N. J. Cira, A. Benusiglio & M. Prakash, Nature 519, 446–450 (26 March 2015) doi:10.1038/nature14272

Dancers: one, two, three,

via colossal, itself via Fuck Yeah Fluid Dynamics (previously), learn more about: Wingtip Vortices, Rogue Waves, the Kaye effect, how skis work, speedskating suits, tornado chambers, mercury+lava=???

posted by the man of twists and turns (7 comments total)

The droplets moving on the plate totally remind me of conway's game of life, which I just discovered has an easter egg on google (see right side of screen).
posted by Poldo at 11:58 AM on April 9, 2015

This is amazing. It's the sort of basic science discovery it is all too easy to think we have moved past with our complex research. And yet it isn't at all difficult to see how this could lead to innovative solutions to other problems.

The self-sorting colors in the third video is magical.
posted by meinvt at 11:58 AM on April 9, 2015 [1 favorite]

Kind of related - Dancing in a water drop. Geronimo! by Sharon Lui
posted by Dr Ew at 12:23 PM on April 9, 2015

The self-sorting colors in the third video is magical.

No, it's SCIENCICAL!
posted by Greg_Ace at 12:33 PM on April 9, 2015 [1 favorite]

This is really beautiful work. Great stuff.
posted by mr_roboto at 12:50 PM on April 9, 2015

Wow, the explanation in the third video at least gives me an inkling of how the drops are sensing each other, but it still looks like magic. And these are just drops of food coloring on glass. How much more might a more complex structure be capable of, just by manipulating basic chemistry... Hmmm.
posted by RedOrGreen at 12:56 PM on April 9, 2015

PS "linkstothedamnpaper" is a fantastic tag, thank you.
posted by RedOrGreen at 12:57 PM on April 9, 2015 [2 favorites]