WIRED Science: Space, Health, Biotech, and More

3 Smart Things: The Hidden Lives of Liquids

WIRED Science: Space, Health, Biotech, and More

1. Most substances make a clean break between their liquid and solid states. But liquid crystals straddle the boundary: They flow smoothly, like water, while maintaining a crystalline structure. A tiny jolt of electricity aligns the molecules in the same direction and allows them to rotate lightโ€”an effect you see when the pixels in your LCD television or smartphone flip on and off to form pretty images. 2.

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