Animals
Physics explains how snakes climb and stand without limbs
Tree snakes can raise their body into the air without falling over. They keep their balance by bending their bodies close to their base.
Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions
More Stories in Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions
- Physics
Let’s learn how to make a sports ball soar
A ball’s shape and spin both affect how it flies through the air.
- Physics
Precise tee placement can improve golf driving, teen finds
A homemade golf-ball-driving machine helped this middle-school engineer improve his own game.
- Space
Scientists Say: Spacetime
Weaving together the concepts of space and time allows scientists to understand gravity and more.
- Chemistry
Scientists finally know why ice is so slippery
It’s not because ice heats up and then partially melts. Rather, ice changes at the molecular level — a process scientists have finally modeled.
- Physics
These parachutes unfurl thanks to Japanese paper-cutting techniques
Parachutes inspired by Japanese kirigami are full of holes. When dropped, they open automatically and fall more predictably than standard parachutes.
- Physics
Why are skis so long?
Let’s strap skis to an action figure to see how long sticks of wood help people glide gracefully over snow.
- Materials Science
Spooky! Grooved surface sends ice sailing — no outside push needed
Boulders that have mysteriously moved across Death Valley’s landscape inspired the work. The new surface can slingshot ice in a chosen direction.
- Animals
Ripple bugs’ frilly feet inspired a water-striding robot
The insects’ nimble movements on the surface of water inspired a robot with automatically unfurling fans on its feet.
- Physics
How to make a pitched ball curve to your will
A range of tricks pitchers use to get curve all come down to the thin layers of air next to the ball — and how a ball’s spin and seams affect them.
