A widely held assumption in engineering has been challenged. The idea that smoother surfaces always produce less aerodynamic drag does not hold in every case.
Aerodynamic drag creates a major obstacle for vehicles designed to travel at high speeds. This applies to airplanes, automobiles, and bullet trains alike.
Researchers have found a way to alter the direction of energy flow in turbulence, challenging a theory established in 1941. The work, conducted at the University of Pittsburgh with Italian collaborators, was published in Science Advances in 2025.
Reported by AI
The Chinese Academy of Sciences launched a research programme on Monday to study low-altitude hypersonic flight technology.
Williams team principal James Vowles confirmed that engineering work to reduce the FW48's weight is complete. However cost cap restrictions prevent the team from introducing all fixes at once.
Reported by AI
Researchers have developed minuscule devices that use light to control movement in multiple directions, advancing the potential for light-powered spacecraft. The metajets, made from silicon, were tested in a lab setting and showed promising results for steering large sails through space. This breakthrough could help overcome current limitations in directing such vessels over vast distances.