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Quanta Magazine

We Know Simple Fluids Can Flow. Turns Out, Some Can Fracture.

Here is a 2-paragraph summary for mathopen.com:

Scientists have long believed that only complex, elastic fluids like gels or polymer solutions could fracture like solids. Simple fluids, such as water or oils, were thought to only flow when stressed. A new discovery is challenging that assumption after researchers observed cracking behavior in a simple, non-elastic fluid, something that was not supposed to be possible.

This surprising result forces scientists to rethink what physical properties actually allow a fluid to fracture. Elasticity was the leading explanation, but since this fluid lacks it, there must be another mechanism at play. Understanding why this happens could reshape our knowledge of fluid dynamics and open new doors in materials science and engineering.

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