Independent movement is usually thought of as a quality of living organisms, but recently researchers in Denmark and the Czech Republic have found a way to make droplets of alcohol floating on water move on their own, even making their way through a complex maze. This is done by increasing the concentration of salt in some areas of the water. Because the sodium gradient is different in those areas, the alcohol droplet starts to move towards them. This is similar to a ball moving down a hill- the object moves towards a lower energy state.
This method has many future applications. For example, it can be used to transmit medicines and chemicals throughout the body or to send a lubricant to a specific part. I thought that this article was really interesting, and the very short video is pretty cool to watch as well.
Submitted by Allison Murphy
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