Swirls are a step toward self-propelled fluid

Imagine a liquid that could move on its own without 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. As reported in Science, researchers have taken the first step in creating a self-propelling liquid. The finding offers the promise of developing an entirely new class of fluids that can flow without human or mechanical effort. School of Physics Associate Professor Alberto Fernandez-Nieves and postdoctoral fellow Ya-Wen Chang co-authored the study, which was led by collaborators at Brandeis University.