Skip to Content
Uncategorized

More Fun With Sand

Last week I blogged about singing dunes, and this week there is more cool news about the peculiarities of sand. Seems that completely dry sand can swallow up objects whole, which may account for instances of people having vanished in…
December 14, 2004

Last week I blogged about singing dunes, and this week there is more cool news about the peculiarities of sand. Seems that completely dry sand can swallow up objects whole, which may account for instances of people having vanished in the desert.

After puffing up ordinary sand by blowing air through it, the packing density (ratio of sand to total volume) was a nebulous 41 percent, down from 60 percent originally. At that point an object placed on the sand was quickly and completely swallowed up–the best part is the thin beam of sand that shoots up in the air as the sand snaps over the completely submerged object. (See the picture at the above link, fifth from the left.) Given where it finds itself these days, naturally the Army is very interested.

Keep Reading

Most Popular

Geoffrey Hinton tells us why he’s now scared of the tech he helped build

“I have suddenly switched my views on whether these things are going to be more intelligent than us.”

ChatGPT is going to change education, not destroy it

The narrative around cheating students doesn’t tell the whole story. Meet the teachers who think generative AI could actually make learning better.

Meet the people who use Notion to plan their whole lives

The workplace tool’s appeal extends far beyond organizing work projects. Many users find it’s just as useful for managing their free time.

Learning to code isn’t enough

Historically, learn-to-code efforts have provided opportunities for the few, but new efforts are aiming to be inclusive.

Stay connected

Illustration by Rose Wong

Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review

Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.

Thank you for submitting your email!

Explore more newsletters

It looks like something went wrong.

We’re having trouble saving your preferences. Try refreshing this page and updating them one more time. If you continue to get this message, reach out to us at customer-service@technologyreview.com with a list of newsletters you’d like to receive.