2012 Virtual Pressroom
The Division exists for the advancement and diffusion of knowledge of the physics of fluids with special emphasis on the dynamical theories of the liquid, plastic and gaseous states of matter under all conditions of temperature and pressure.
65th Annual Meeting of the APS Division of Fluid Dynamics
November 18-20, 2012
San Diego, California
The meeting brought together researchers from across the globe to address some of the most important questions in modern astronomy, engineering, alternative energy, biology, and medicine.
Press Releases
Sound Bullets in Water
November 19, 2012 - Sound waves are commonly used in applications ranging from ultrasound imaging to hyperthermia therapy, in which high temperatures are induced, for example, in tumors to destroy them. In 2010, researchers at Caltech led by Chiara Daraio, a professor of aeronautics and applied physics, developed a nonlinear acoustic lens that can focus high-amplitude pressure pulses into compact "sound bullets." In that initial work, the scientists demonstrated how sound bullets form in solids. Now, they have done themselves one better, creating a device that can form and control those bullets in water. View More »
Owls’ Ability to Fly in Acoustic Stealth Provides Clues to Mitigating Conventional Air
November 19, 2012 - Owls have the uncanny ability to fly silently, relying on specialized plumage to reduce noise so they can hunt in acoustic stealth. Researchers from the University of Cambridge, England, are studying the owl?s wing structure to better understand how it mitigates noise so they can apply that information to the design of conventional aircraft. View More »
Mosquitos Fail at Flight in Heavy Fog
November 19, 2012 - Mosquitos have the remarkable ability to fly in clear skies as well as in rain, shrugging off impacts from raindrops more than 50 times their body mass. But just like modern aircraft, mosquitos also are grounded when the fog thickens. View More »
Invisibility Cloaking to Shield Floating Objects from Waves
November 19, 2012 - A new approach to invisibility cloaking may one day be used at sea to shield floating objects - such as oil rigs and ships - from rough waves. Unlike most other cloaking techniques that rely on transformation optics, this one is based on the influence of the ocean floor?s topography on the various "layers" of ocean water. View More »
New Model Reveals How Huddling Penguins Share Heat Fairly
November 16, 2012 - Penguins that face the bitter cold and icy winds of Antarctica often huddle together in large groups for warmth during storms. Mathematicians at the University of California, Merced created a model of penguin huddles that assumes each penguin aims solely to minimize its own heat loss. Surprisingly, the model reveals that such self-centered behavior results in an equitable sharing of heat. View More »
Visualizing Floating Cereal Patterns to Understand Nanotechnology Processes
November 16, 2012 - Small floating objects change the dynamics of the surface they are on. This is an effect every serious student of breakfast has seen as rafts of floating cereal o's arrange and rearrange themselves into patterns on the milk. Now scientists have suggested that this process may offer insight into nanoscale engineering processes. View More »
Probing the Mystery of the Venus Fly Trap's Botanical Bite
November 16, 2012 - Plants lack muscles, yet in only a tenth of a second, the meat-eating Venus fly trap hydrodynamically snaps its leaves shut to trap an insect meal. This astonishingly rapid display of botanical movement has long fascinated biologists. Commercially, understanding the mechanism of the Venus fly trap's leaf snapping may one day help improve products such as release-on-command coatings and adhesives, electronic circuits, optical lenses, and drug delivery. View More »
Mixing Processes Could Increase the Impact of Biofuel Spills on Aquatic Environments
November 16, 2012 - Ethanol, a component of biofuel made from plants such as corn, is blended with gas in many parts of the country, but has significantly different fluid properties than pure gasoline. A group of researchers from the University of Michigan wondered how ethanol-based fuels would spread in the event of a large aquatic spill. They found that ethanol-based liquids mix actively with water, very different from how pure gasoline interacts with water and potentially more dangerous to aquatic life. View More »
Creating a Coating of Water-repellant Microscopic Particles to Keep Ice off Airplanes
November 16, 2012 - To help planes fly safely through cold, wet, and icy conditions, a team of Japanese scientists has developed a new super water-repellent surface that can prevent ice from forming in these harsh atmospheric conditions. Unlike current inflight anti-icing techniques, the researchers envision applying this new anti-icing method to an entire aircraft like a coat of paint. View More »
Behind the Success of the Soccer ‘Knuckleball’
November 16, 2012 - What makes soccer star Christiano Ronaldo's 'knuckleball' shot so unpredictable and difficult to stop? View More »