Category Archives: Science

Dancing water droplets in an air bubble inside a water bubble in space

Smarter Every Day 160: The WALKING WATER Mystery (in SPACE and SLOW MOTION!). (YouTube, 12min)

Destin Sandlin explains why you often see water droplets dance or bounce on the surface of water instead of coalescence occurs.

This video features astronaut Don Pettit, who did a cool experiment in space: He attached a big water bubble to a speaker, then inserted an air bubble into it. When he played cello music (by Yo-Yo Ma) through the speaker, little water droplets would detach from the water and bounce around inside the air bubble. You can see it in the above video starting right here.

“[T]he species may not actually need to land for sleep”

NPR – The Two-Way: This Bird Can Remain Airborne For 10 Months Straight.

“Scientists have long suspected that the common swift remains airborne for extraordinary amounts of time during its annual migration.

Now, a team of scientists in Sweden has proved that these birds fly for tremendously long periods of time. They affixed data loggers onto a total of 19 of the master fliers in 2013 and 2014, and recaptured the birds months or years later. Researchers found that the birds can spend almost their entire 10-month nonbreeding period on the wing.”

Schiaparelli Mars lander hit the planet hard — and possibly exploded.

NPR the two-way: Schiaparelli Mars Lander May Have Exploded On Impact, European Agency Says.

“”Estimates are that Schiaparelli dropped from a height of between 2 and 4 kilometers, therefore impacting at a considerable speed, greater than 300 km/h [186 mph]. The relatively large size of the feature would then arise from disturbed surface material. It is also possible that the lander exploded on impact, as its thruster propellant tanks were likely still full.””