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JACKSON POLLOCK will be turning in his grave: researchers in France have
found a way to stop liquids from splashing. Vance Bergeron of Rhodia Recherches
of Lyon and his colleagues have shown that adding small amounts of a flexible
polymer such as polyethylene glycol to water helps ensure that droplets stay in
one piece when they hit a surface, as the long polymer chains resist stretching
on impact (Nature, vol 406, p 772). The idea may be used in everything
from paints and ink-jet printers to pesticides and hairsprays—but it
probably won’t stop you spilling your tea.