Why anyone can make a sandcastle

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X-ray microtomography of a dense fluid cluster consisting of spherical glass beads (0.8 millimeters in diameter). Credit: Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization
X-ray microtomography of a dense fluid cluster consisting of spherical glass beads (0.8 millimeters in diameter). Credit: Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization

Anyone trying to build sandcastles on the beach will need some degree of skill and imagination, but not an instruction manual. The water content is actually relatively unimportant to the mechanical properties of the sand. This observation, which is borne out by precise measurements in the laboratory, puzzles researchers. Even with water content of just 3%, the fluid inside represents a highly-complex structure.


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All News summaries for February 11, 2008

Purdue panel finds misconduct by fusion scientist

Jul 18, 2008 | User rating: not rated yet
(AP) -- A Purdue University panel has found two instances of misconduct by a researcher who claims he produced nuclear fusion in tabletop experiments.

Shimmering ferroelectric domains

Jul 18, 2008 | User rating: not rated yet
Ferroelectric materials are named after ferromagnetic ones because they behave in a similar way. The main difference: these materials are not magnetic, but permanently electrically polarized. They have great ...

Super-Resolution X-ray Microscopy unveils the buried secrets of the nanoworld

Jul 17, 2008 | User rating: not rated yet
A novel super-resolution X-ray microscope developed by a team of researchers from the Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI) and EPFL in Switzerland combines the high penetration power of x-rays with high spatial resolution, ...

First full 3-D view of cracks growing in steel

Jul 17, 2008 | User rating: not rated yet
A team of researchers from the University of Manchester (United Kingdom), the National Institute of Applied Sciences in Lyon (France) and the ESRF has revealed how a growing crack interacts with the 3D crystal ...

Advance brings low-cost, bright LED lighting closer to reality

Jul 17, 2008 | User rating: not rated yet
Researchers at Purdue University have overcome a major obstacle in reducing the cost of "solid state lighting," a technology that could cut electricity consumption by 10 percent if widely adopted.
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