Minghui Guo

A droplet of liquid metal glides along a narrow channel like mercury from a broken thermometer. It needs no motor — the fuel is a chemical reaction with the surrounding liquid. But what happens when the droplet hits a wall? Previously, such machines were studied in open spaces, and in tight channels they behave differently.

A blood clot in a vessel is like a cork stuck in a narrow pipe. Standard drugs dissolve it slowly, like hot water melting a sugar cube. But while the drug works, the cork can shift and block blood flow entirely. The new approach works differently. Instead of slow dissolution, the clot is attacked with micro-explosions.