The winners of the annual “Gallery of Soft Matter” competition included posters and videos depicting wiggling worms, wrinkly leaves, sun-shy algae, flowing solids, and drying fibers. Read More »
An ultrasoft material can move smoothly through a pipe, but the motion generates “furrows” on the material’s front surface. Read More »
Roughing up the surfaces of particles in a colloidal system can smooth its transition into a glassy state. Read More »
Measurements of grains flowing down an inclined plane have uncovered general principles that may help researchers model rockslides and other granular flows. Read More »
Cell–cell alignment and a background of stationary cells together shape the emergence of cellular clusters in a primary tumor. Read More »
By repeatedly applying coats of a hardening polymer to a surface, researchers have created rubbery stalactite-like formations that could be useful in soft robotics. Read More »
A new method for studying the behavior of multiparticle systems relies on a simple “head count” of particles in imaginary boxes. Read More »
A lab-scale model provides a testing ground for studying the breakup of ice sheets or of other thin solids floating on the surface of a fluid. Read More »
Using an old film as input, researchers demonstrate an algorithm that rapidly determines the positions of thousands of particles whose light-scattering produces an image or other desired output. Read More »
Local curvature could drive directionality of periodic pigmentation patterns on animals. Read More »
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