Pore-scale mechanisms of drag reduction by micro-blowing have rarely been explored. A direct numerical simulation (DNS) study, published in the Chinese Journal of Aeronautics, is performed to uncover the fundamental physics of single-hole micro-blowing in a supersonic turbulent boundary layer. Results reveal a dual-regime drag-reduction mechanism: upstream reduction driven by adverse pressure gradients and downstream reduction dominated by the formation of a low-speed air film. A detailed vortex-interaction analysis further explains how micro-blowing sustains stable drag-reduction performance under turbulent vortex interference.

Following the path towards innovation in education and health, the Department of Education and Specific Didactics of the Universitat Jaume I is developing Hort4Health. Under the direction of Mireia Adelantado Renau, lecturer in the Department of Didactics of Experimental Sciences, this leading project seeks to analyse and investigate in an interdisciplinary way the impact of integrating an eco-educational garden in the classrooms where students learn about health, sustainability and emotional well-being, thus offering a solid scientific basis on the benefits of these practices.

The Hort4Health project emerges in response to the growing need to promote healthy habits among young people, especially in an era where technology and sedentary lifestyles predominate and generate worrying figures. Through practical activities in the garden, students not only study about agriculture and ecology, but also experience the benefits of physical activity and contact with nature for their mental and physical health. Researcher Mireia Adelantado points out that in this way "scientific results will be obtained on the current healthy habits of the university community, completing the scarce previous literature on this subject in this population". This initiative has already involved more than a hundred pupils from the Early Childhood and Primary School Teacher degrees, who have participated in sessions designed to improve their emotional wellbeing, their connection with the environment and their understanding of the importance of an active and healthy life. Early results indicate a significant positive impact on the physical health of the participants and underline the potential of the garden as an innovative space for learning and wellbeing.

Bright “cool” road paint beats city heat, but it can also blind drivers. New research sets the first safety caps on shine—here’s the simple rule planners need before they coat the streets.