Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

posted by takyon on Saturday March 25 2017, @09:01PM   Printer-friendly
from the water-you-going-to-do-about-it? dept.

Imagine a liquid that could move on its own. No need for human effort or the pull of gravity. You could put it in a container flat on a table, not touch it in any way, and it would still flow.

Brandeis researchers report in a new article in Science that they have taken the first step in creating a self-propelling liquid. The finding holds out the promise of developing an entirely new class of fluids that can flow without human or mechanical effort. One possible real-world application: Oil might be able to move through a pipeline without needing to be pumped.

The researchers work at Brandeis' Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC), part of a National Science Foundation initiative to create a revolutionary new class of materials and machines made from biological components.

The breakthrough reported in the journal Science was achieved by reproducing in the lab the incredibly complex series of processes that allow cells to change shape and adapt to their environment. Cells can do this because the building blocks of its scaffolding—hollow cylindrical tubes called microtubules—are capable of self-transformation. The microtubules grow, shrink, bend and stretch, altering the cell's underlying structure.

They invented the Blob. Can't decide if that's creepy or cool...

Transition from turbulent to coherent flows in confined three-dimensional active fluids (DOI: 10.1126/science.aal1979) (DX)


Original Submission

This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
(1)
  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 25 2017, @09:09PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 25 2017, @09:09PM (#484186)

    So are they saying liquid that flows uphill?
    Because liquid already flows downhill on it's own.
    How do they determine which direction the liquid flows?
    I can't believe people actually get paid to write this shit.

  • (Score: 2) by edIII on Saturday March 25 2017, @09:18PM (2 children)

    by edIII (791) on Saturday March 25 2017, @09:18PM (#484187)

    Imagine a liquid that could move on its own. No need for human effort or the pull of gravity. You could put it in a container flat on a table, not touch it in any way, and it would still flow.

    .

    Odd phrasing. So no energy from gravity, and no kinetic energy from me touching it with anything. Where is the energy coming from? They make it sound like this thing is alive and capable of engaging in motion all on its own, so its "eating" to continue its motion.

    It's moving fluid through a pipeline, but it's only replacing the energy used by the pumps, not eliminating it. This would seem to be moving the entire pump into the pipe. You still need dope the fluid with its food though.

    Are the costs of the food cheaper than the costs of the pump?

    --
    Technically, lunchtime is at any moment. It's just a wave function.
    • (Score: 4, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 25 2017, @09:38PM (1 child)

      by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 25 2017, @09:38PM (#484197)

      The energy comes from ATP hydrolysis:

      We studied isotropic active fluids composed of filamentous microtubules, clusters of kinesin molecular motors, and depleting polymers. The polymer bundles microtubules, whereas the adenosine triphosphate (ATP)–fueled motion of kinesin clusters powers their extension. The extensile bundles consist of oppositely aligned polar microtubules and thus have quadrupolar (nematic) symmetry. They generate local active stresses that collectively drive mesoscale turbulent-like dynamics of bulk active fluids. Upon ATP depletion, the motion of microscopic motors grinds to a halt

      I am continually amazed at the awful the descriptions of research meant for the general public. It is hurting, not helping by causing needless confusion.

  • (Score: 2) by fishybell on Saturday March 25 2017, @09:22PM

    by fishybell (3156) on Saturday March 25 2017, @09:22PM (#484188)

    This very much reminds me of an episode of The Tick.

    Mad scientists invents room-temperature fire.

    Tick: "Egad man! What's the point?"

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjWeqZ6_Hgc [youtube.com]

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 25 2017, @10:14PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 25 2017, @10:14PM (#484207)

    If it flows by itself. It must have self determination. Can we really keep it in a pipe? When it gets out can we really cage it again? This ar e deep questions that must answered before we create a new slave class.

  • (Score: 3, Informative) by rts008 on Saturday March 25 2017, @11:12PM (1 child)

    by rts008 (3001) on Saturday March 25 2017, @11:12PM (#484214)

    This will become a new genre in the porn industry.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday March 26 2017, @06:23AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday March 26 2017, @06:23AM (#484279)

      what, you mean bukkake?

  • (Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 25 2017, @11:39PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 25 2017, @11:39PM (#484220)

    So all your Terminator nightmares are about to come true.

    • (Score: 2) by VLM on Sunday March 26 2017, @02:55PM

      by VLM (445) Subscriber Badge on Sunday March 26 2017, @02:55PM (#484368)

      I'm so old I remember "them" saying that about magnetorheological fluids and electrorheological fluids. Other than some talk about active luxury car suspensions I don't recall either substance going very far, in part because keeping the "stuff" mechanically suspended evenly was very difficult without wear and tear and something about colloidal particles being too small to be highly effective or something. Someday that technology will probably amount to something, just like the ATP powered cilia from the linked article, just maybe not today or this decade or this century.

(1)