Walking on water
Science: The surface tension of water has profound effects on life (1-3). It makes possible the flow of water to the tops of trees, allows some insects to breathe underwater and others to walk on it, and resists the inflation of lungs in premature infants. Collaboration among biologists, engineers, mathematicians, and physicists has produced exciting advances in our understanding of surface tension's effects in both nature and technology. In a new twist on this theme, in Science this week, Manu Prakash, David Quéré, and John W. M. Bush describe a "capillary ratchet" that explains how some shorebirds feed, highlighting a burgeoning research field that makes practical use of surface tension.
