Rough is the new smooth

Smooth is not always better when it comes to reducing drag, researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles contend in their new study published in Physics of Fluids. "A properly designed rough surface, contrary to our intuition, can reduce skin-friction drag," said John Kim, a professor in the mechanical and aerospace engineering department at UCLA. Kim teamed up with his colleagues to model the flow of fluids between two surfaces with tiny ridges, finding that even in turbulent conditions, the rough surfaces decreased drag created by the friction of flowing water. But speaking of water, the area around Charleston, West Virginia, has been brought to its knees by contaminated drinking water. Thousands of gallons of an industrial chemical used for treating coal, MCHM, leaked last week from a company’s steel tank, flowed down the bank and into the Elk River, located just a mile upriver from the intake point for the region’s drinking water treatment plant. Residents quickly noticed the licorice smell and a few hours later were officially warned not to drink or cook, wash, or bathe with the water. A state of emergency was declared in nine counties. Schools, hospitals, restaurants, hotels, and more closed. About 300,000 residents were affected. This is disgusting. You can't just pour industrial waste into the water supply because people will get sick from drinking it. It's bad enough that there's no clean drinking water in much of Africa, so don't spread that problem to the rest of the world.