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Did you know that you can hear the difference between hot and cold water?

When poured, hot water produces a higher-pitched sound due to differences in viscosity. Cold water is thicker and moves more slowly, producing a lower-pitched sound

Culture

Van Gogh’s Starry Night: Scientifically Accurate

"Starry Night" is widely regarded as one of the most famous paintings in the world, second only to the Mona Lisa. But what many admirers might not realize is that van Gogh’s swirling sky is not just visually striking—it’s also “alive with real-world physics.”

The brushstrokes in Starry Night create such a convincing illusion of atmospheric motion that scientists specializing in fluid dynamics in China and France became curious about how closely it mirrors the actual physics of the sky. Because you can’t measure actual motion in the painting itself, the scientists used van Gogh's brushstrokes as a proxy for real atmospheric movement. By analyzing the scale and spacing of these swirling strokes, they found that van Gogh’s portrayal of the sky "accurately captures" energy cascading in turbulent flows—a phenomenon they call “hidden turbulence.”

According to Dr. Huang Yongxiang, one of the study’s authors, the size of the brush strokes was key. “By using high-resolution digital images, we were able to precisely measure the size of the strokes and compare them to turbulence theories.” The researchers likened the swirling brushstrokes to leaves caught in a whirlwind, which allowed them to analyze the shape, energy, and scaling of atmospheric characteristics in the painting. They also used the varying brightness of the paint as a stand-in for the kinetic energy of movement in the sky.

“It reveals a deep and intuitive understanding of natural phenomena,” Dr. Huang explained. “Van Gogh’s precise representation of turbulence might be from studying the movement of clouds and the atmosphere or an innate sense of how to capture the dynamism of the sky.” The study, published in Physics of Fluids, examined the 14 main swirling shapes in Starry Night and found they aligned with Kolmogorov’s law, a theory that describes how kinetic energy is transferred in turbulent flows from large to small scales.

On a finer level, the team found the brightness diffused in the brushstrokes also followed Batchelor’s scaling, which explains energy transfer in smaller, passive atmospheric turbulence. Finding both types of energy scaling in one system is rare, and it was a major motivation for their research.

Innovation

Targeted Hearing Device

People with hearing loss often face the "cocktail party problem," where it's hard to focus on one voice in a noisy environment. OrCam Technologies' OrCam Hear aims to solve this with a system of earbuds and an AI-powered app.
The app samples voices, creates speaker profiles, and allows users to isolate a specific voice, muting others. "Deep networks and advanced language models are used to significantly improve hearing aids and hearables," said Amnon Shashua, OrCam's co-founder, in a press release.

The company plans to begin production of the device later this year.

Environment

Giant Millipede Rediscovered After 126 Years

A giant millipede, not seen in 126 years, was recently rediscovered during a scientific expedition to Madagascar’s remote Makira forest. This millipede was one of many species identified by the team as part of Re:Wild’s Search for Lost Species program. The program, involving scientists, conservationists, and local guides, aims to track down species that haven't been documented for at least a decade, but are not classified as extinct.

Over several weeks in September 2023, the 30-member team searched for lost mammals, fish, birds, reptiles, and invertebrates, uncovering a total of 37 vertebrate species. The team initially focused on 30 species, including fish that hadn’t been seen in 20 years, with local guides eventually locating the Makira rainbow fish after days of searching. Among the notable finds was the giant millipede Spirostreptus sculptus, last recorded in 1897. A female specimen measured over 27 centimeters long. The expedition also turned up previously lost ant-like flower beetles, spiders, and other insects. Additionally, 17 spider species new to science were discovered, including a zebra spider identified from a cave’s egg sac.

Despite these successes, some species eluded the team, such as the Masoala fork-marked lemur and a large chameleon. The expedition’s findings reaffirm Madagascar’s status as a biodiversity hotspot with its many unique and endemic species.

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Mind Stretchers

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Yesterday’s Mind Stretchers:
I cannot be seen, cannot be felt, cannot be heard, and cannot be smelt. I lie behind stars and under hills, and empty holes I fill. I come first and follow after, I end life and kill laughter. What am I?

Answer: Darkness.

Gerry Moore got the correct answer first!

Be the first to send us the correct answer for today’s mind stretcher for a shout-out with the answer tomorrow. Just send us the answer and your name to [email protected]or reply to the email.

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