We often test the temperature of our frying pans by throwing a few droplets of water: if they skate over the hot surface, it is time to cook our pancakes! Water mobility indeed arises above a well-defined temperature, as described in 1756 by Johan Leidenfrost... click to read more

To a classical physicist, there is no fundamental limit to how well you can measure something. A classical object, for example, always exists in a well-defined position; if you want to know that position with better accuracy, you simply build a better microscope. The story... click to read more

Known as the "molecule of life", DNA is found in every cell in our body, providing a set of instructions for the function and organization throughout our bodies. These instructions are encoded by only four structural variations, abbreviated to A, C, G and T. While... click to read more

The avid citrus consumer knows it is impossible to peel an orange and keep your fingers dry, even if the precious fruit inside remains unmolested. Others will have noticed the ephemeral and fragrant mist that is emitted when peels are broken and tiny fluid jets... click to read more

Fighter jet aircrafts need to be fast. It therefore appears intuitive to make their turbines spin at the highest rotation rates possible. Following this approach, one will encounter an unpleasant surprise. At rotation rates around 1000 revolutions per second, the turbine blades start to disintegrate,... click to read more