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  • Century-old turbulence theory confirmed in bubble swarm experiments

    Century-old turbulence theory confirmed in bubble swarm experiments

    An international team of scientists has successfully shown that swarms of rising bubbles create turbulence that behaves exactly as predicted by a well-known theory developed nearly a century ago.

    For the study, the researchers from the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), Johns Hopkins University, and Duke University tracked individual bubbles and fluid particles in 3D. 

    Their experiments provided the first direct experimental evidence that so-called ‘Kolmogorov scaling’ can emerge in bubble-induced turbulence, confirming the 1941 theory of how energy cascades through turbulent flows from large eddies to smaller ones.

    “We wanted to get a definitive answer by looking closely at the turbulence between and around bubbles, at very small scales,” Tian Ma, PhD, a physicist at the Institute of Fluid Dynamics at HZDR and lead author of the study, said. 

    Tracking chaos one bubble at a time

    Bubble-induced turbulence has long been one of the most elusive problems in classical physics. It occurs everywhere, from carbonated drinks to industrial mixing processes to crashing ocean waves.

    While Soviet mathematician Andrey Kolmogorov’s theory, known as K41 scaling, is widely accepted to describe how energy dissipates in turbulent flows, proving its relevance in bubbly systems has remained a scientific challenge.

    To test whether the theory holds in such flows, the team used advanced 3D simultaneous Lagrangian tracking to capture the motion of both phases with high precision. The method allowed the scientists to follow bubbles and tiny tracer particles in the surrounding water in real time.

    The team built a vertical column of water measuring 4.5 inches (11.5 centimeters) in diameter. They injected swarms of bubbles from the bottom and used four synchronized high-speed cameras to capture the scene in exquisite detail, at 2,500 frames per second.

    To replicate real bubbly flows, the team varied the bubble size and the amount of gas in four different experiments. Three- to five-millimeter bubbles wobbled as they rose, generating strong wakes. 

    Meanwhile, in two of the four cases with moderate bubble size and density, the turbulence in the flow closely followed Kolmogorov’s predictions at small scales for eddies smaller than the size of the bubbles. 

    According to the team, this was the first time such scaling has been confirmed experimentally amid a bubble swarm. “Kolmogorov’s theory is elegant,” Andrew Bragg, PhD, a researcher at Duke University and co-author of the study, revealed. 

    Analyzing bubble behavior

    Bragg explained that the theory describes how energy cascades from large eddies to smaller ones until it dissipates, shaping the fluctuations of turbulent fluid motion. “Finding that this theory also describes bubble-driven turbulence so well is both surprising and exciting,” he continued in a press release. 

    The team also proposed a new formula to estimate energy loss in these flows, using only bubble size and density as variables. The predictions closely matched the experimental results, suggesting a simpler model for bubbly turbulence.

    They found that turbulent flow outside the bubbles’ immediate wakes followed Kolmogorov’s scaling. This is because the wakes are so violently disturbed that they break the usual flow structure, which explains why previous studies may have missed the connection.

    Although there are limits, particularly as larger bubbles tend to break apart, the findings mark a major step forward in understanding how turbulence behaves in multiphase systems.

    Hendrik Hessenkemper, PhD, study co-author who led the experiments, explained that nature prevents bubbles from producing perfect Kolmogorov turbulence. “But under the right conditions, we know it gets close.” 

    The findings settle a long-standing debate and could help improve industrial systems such as chemical reactors and wastewater treatment plants.

    “The more we understand the fundamental rules of turbulence in bubbly flows, the better we can harness them in real-world applications, Ma concluded. “And it’s pretty amazing that a theory from over 80 years ago continues to hold up in such a bubbly environment.” 

    The study has been published in the journal Physical Review Letters.

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  • Northern lights may be visible in these 15 states overnight Aug. 18-19

    Northern lights may be visible in these 15 states overnight Aug. 18-19

    The northern lights could illuminate skies overnight on Aug. 18-19, thanks to a fast-moving stream of solar wind that may spark geomagnetic storm conditions, potentially triggering visible auroras across 15 states, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

    Forecasters from NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) and the U.K. Met Office predict a chance of minor (G1) geomagnetic storm conditions tonight, with further possible aurora enhancements in the days to come.

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  • Individual and combined effects of maternal per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances exposure on preterm birth: a nested case-control study in China | Environmental Health

    Individual and combined effects of maternal per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances exposure on preterm birth: a nested case-control study in China | Environmental Health

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  • Russia Hits Ukraine Apartment Block Ahead of Zelensky’s White House Meeting – The Wall Street Journal

    1. Russia Hits Ukraine Apartment Block Ahead of Zelensky’s White House Meeting  The Wall Street Journal
    2. Russia pounds Ukraine, kills more civilians before White House meeting  Al Jazeera
    3. Pictures show deadly Russian strikes in Ukraine and further flooding in Pakistan  BBC
    4. Photos show aftermath of a deadly Russian attack in Ukraine and the funeral of a fallen soldier  AP News
    5. More young lives lost in Ukraine, as UN chief repeats call for a ‘just, comprehensive and sustainable peace’  Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs

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  • Helen Mirren Is Against a Female James Bond Role: ‘Doesn’t Work’

    Helen Mirren Is Against a Female James Bond Role: ‘Doesn’t Work’

    No one has spent a longer stretch of time in the role of James Bond than Daniel Craig. After vacating the role following 2021’s No Time to Die, nearly every handsome and charismatic working actor has been suggested to fill his position. Some viewers have even considered a list of women who could take on the role. But actress Helen Mirren recently told Saga Magazine that taking that route would produce an entirely different film.

    “I’m such a feminist, but James Bond has to be a guy,” Mirren said. “You can’t have a woman. It just doesn’t work. James Bond has to be James Bond, otherwise it becomes something else.”

    Former James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan, who stars alongside Mirren in the whodunit film The Thursday Murder Club, agreed. “Oh, I think it has to be a man,” he told Saga. “I’m so excited to see the next man come on the stage and to see a whole new exuberance and life for this character.”

    Back in 2019, Brosnan wasn’t opposed to the idea of having a woman fill Bond’s shoes. “I think we’ve watched the guys do it for the last 40 years,” he told Hollywood Reporter at the time. “Get out of the way, guys, and put a woman up there. I think it would be exhilarating, it would be exciting.” But the actor also noted that the Broccoli family, long-time producers of the films with generational influence, wouldn’t allow it. “I don’t think that’s going to happen with the Broccolis,” he said. “I don’t think that is going to happen under their watch.”

    Amazon MGM Studios took over the franchise earlier this year. With the move, longtime producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson — the daughter and stepson of producer Albert “Cubby” Broccoli, who first brought Bond to the big screen with 1962’s Dr. No and remained with the franchise until his death in 1996 — ceded creative control. They will retain the franchise’s intellectual property rights and remain co-owners of the Bond franchise.

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    In May, Amazon MGM Studios announced Spider-Man franchise producer Amy Pascal and Harry Potter producer David Heyman as the new Bond production team. “James Bond is one of the most iconic characters in the history of cinema,” they said at the time. “We are humbled to follow in the footsteps of Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson who made so many extraordinary films and honoured and excited to keep the spirit of Bond very much alive as he embarks on his next adventure.”

    In No Time to Die, actress Lashana Lynch briefly assumes the role of Agent 007, but was met with racist and misogynistic backlash to the fleeting change. In 2021, Craig told Radio Times, “There should simply be better parts for women and actors of colour. Why should a woman play James Bond when there should be a part just as good as James Bond, but for a woman?”

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  • Oil prices stable ahead of Trump-Zelenskiy meeting – Reuters

    1. Oil prices stable ahead of Trump-Zelenskiy meeting  Reuters
    2. Speculators Drive Oil Futures to Most Bearish Positioning Since 2009  Crude Oil Prices Today | OilPrice.com
    3. Spec crude net length eases amid US-Russia de-escalation  Quantum Commodity Intelligence
    4. WTI Crude Technical: Bearish tone intact as Trump-Zelenskiy meeting looms  marketpulse.com
    5. From Alaska smoke to wyoming fire: Oil deflates and doves perch nervously  FXStreet

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  • VNL 2025 Men’s Finals deliver Polsat Sport’s biggest audience in 25 years

    The 2025 Volleyball Nations League (VNL) Finals, held in Ningbo, China, recently crowned its champions and marked a landmark moment in the sport’s broadcasting history.

    On 3 August, the Men’s Final between Poland and Italy secured a cumulative audience of 3.8 million – the highest ratings on Polsat Sport in over a quarter of a century (for the A4+ demographic), underlining the sport’s continued rise in popularity.

    That momentum was reflected throughout the week. Finals week coverage of the Men’s VNL on Polish television reached an impressive weekly cumulative average audience of 8.9 million, continuing the huge surge seen earlier in the competition when viewing time across the VNL matches during the opening three weeks rose 166% compared with 2024.

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  • PCB Chief awards Rs1 million each to national hockey players

    PCB Chief awards Rs1 million each to national hockey players





    PCB Chief awards Rs1 million each to national hockey players – Daily Times


































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  • Can Europe’s leaders drag Trump’s Ukraine policy back on track? – Today in Focus Extra | Ukraine

    Can Europe’s leaders drag Trump’s Ukraine policy back on track? – Today in Focus Extra | Ukraine

    Last week, the US president, Donald Trump, flew to Anchorage, Alaska, to meet the Russian president, Vladimir Putin. All guns blazing, Trump promised there would be consequences if he did not get the ceasefire he had come for. But after spending three hours in the subartic chill with Putin, a former KGB handler, he seemed to change. He said he agreed with Putin that a long-term peace settlement was more urgent than a ceasefire, and ruled out Ukraine joining Nato.

    Europe’s key leaders have responded by ripping up their schedules and insisting on joining Volodymyr Zelenskyy as he travels to Washington for his own meeting with Trump, the Guardian’s senior international correspondent Julian Borger explains. Helen Pidd asks what hope this “dream team” of leaders has of convincing Trump to listen to the Ukrainian president’s pleas for a ceasefire.

    Photograph: Ludovic Marin/AFP/Getty Images

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  • Deal alert! Save £80 on Elac’s Debut 3.0 DB53 bookshelf speakers

    Deal alert! Save £80 on Elac’s Debut 3.0 DB53 bookshelf speakers

    Budget hi-fi enthusiasts can now snag the Elac Debut 3.0 DB53 standmount speakers at Peter Tyson for £219 – an £80 saving from the usual £299 RRP.

    Simply sign up for a free Peter Tyson VIP account to make yourself eligible for the deal, and you’re sorted. Only the walnut finish is available at this price, mind, but we rather like its retro charm compared to the classic black ash finish.

    While they haven’t quite made the cut for our best bookshelf speakers round-up, they’re still very solid performers, made all the more tempting by this discounted price.

    In our review, the DB53 impressed across several key areas. Their enhanced bass reproduction stands out immediately – the rear-ported design delivers substantially more punch and weight at the lower end compared to their predecessors, making tracks like Ghost’s Satanized feel properly propulsive.

    But it’s not just about bass quantity – they also excel at clarity and textural detail, revealing instrumental nuances that lesser speakers often obscure.

    The soundstage presentation proves particularly compelling as well. Playing George Benson’s Give Me The Night, the Elacs capably separate each element – smooth guitar licks, skittering drums, brass sections – while giving everything proper breathing room.

    This spacious quality shines with atmospheric tracks like Radiohead’s Codex, where the speakers create genuinely wide, open soundscapes that keep Thom Yorke’s falsetto sitting naturally in the centre while the composition unfolds around it.

    Stereo imaging deserves special mention, too. The DB53 demonstrate an impressive knack for precise positioning, creating that satisfying sense of instruments occupying distinct spaces rather than blending into an indistinct wall of sound.

    When paired with demanding content like Bear McCreary’s God of War Ragnarök soundtrack, they deliver genuinely impressive weight and impact that gets your pulse quickening.

    (Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)

    Elsewhere, the Debut 3.0 DB53 represent a substantial redesign from Elac’s Award-winning second-generation speakers. Out goes the cloth dome tweeter, replaced by a new 25mm aluminium unit tuned for greater clarity.

    The 13cm aramid fibre woofer benefits from improved damping, larger magnet, and enhanced voice coil design, while Elac has also moved the port from front to rear, citing improved bass reproduction and reduced distortion as key motivations, plus strategic internal bracing reinforces the cabinet structure.

    However, there are some important caveats to consider. The DB53 exhibit an unforgiving character that draws attention to harsh recordings, particularly noticeable on vocal lines and brass instruments.

    We found this trait demanded careful amplifier pairing – smoother options like the Marantz PM6007 helped mitigate the issue, though didn’t eliminate it entirely.

    Additionally, dynamic expression trails behind current budget leaders like the Wharfedale Diamond 12.1, with the Elacs adopting a more regimented approach to energy transitions that can sound mechanical during complex passages.

    At £219 for the walnut finish though, the Debut 3.0 DB53 offer compelling value for listeners who prioritise spaciousness, detailed presentation, and enhanced bass performance over absolute smoothness.

    MORE:

    Read our full Elac Debut 3.0 DB53 review

    These are the best bookshelf speakers

    Our Wharfedale Diamond 12.1 review

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