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Scientists Make Water Run Uphill

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the flee-little-droplets-flee dept.

redshadow01 writes to mention a BBC story about scientists flouting the laws of physics for fun, and profit. From the article: "The US scientists did the experiment to demonstrate how the random motion of water molecules in hot steam could be channelled into a directed force. But the team, writing in Physical Review Letters, believes the effect may be useful in driving coolants through overheating computer microchips."

2 of 144 comments (clear)

  1. Another way to do it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    Whitesides made water run uphill 14 years ago! He used a different "trick" though: he made a surface that was very hydrophobic on one side, and very hydrophilic on the other. A drop of water feels this gradient and moves towards the hydrophilic side, even if it happens to be uphill. The energy comes from the surface tension of the drop (it relaxes as it moves).

    http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1992Sci...256.1539C

  2. Links with information... by Mike+Peel · · Score: 5, Informative
    Why doesn't the article link to pages with more information that just a summary?


    Incidentally, this news dates from the end of 2005 - so slashdot is running 4/5 months behind the times.