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Microscopic sensors uncover how liquids turn glassy without structural change

Phys · · 637 words · By Tel-Aviv University

Researchers at Tel Aviv University published a study in Nature Physics detailing a new method to observe the 'glass transition'—the process by which a liquid becomes rigid without structural change. The study used microscopic sensors (colloids) to track particle motion, identifying three key signatures that confirm the transition from a flowing liquid to an amorphous solid. These findings suggest the technique can be applied to study various soft materials, including biological tissues.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://phys.org/news/2026-04-microscopic-sensors-uncover-liquids-glassy.html

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fact_checkFact-Check Results

18 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

schedule Pending 8
check_circle Corroborated 5
info Single Source 3
help Insufficient Evidence 2
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“A scientific discovery by researchers at Tel Aviv University's School of Chemistry offers a new perspective on a long-standing scientific mystery: how does a flowing liquid suddenly become a rigid, almost frozen material, without changing its structure?”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results, including those from Tel Aviv University, report the discovery regarding how a flowing liquid becomes rigid without structural change, confirming the core mystery and the research origin.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The White City (Hebrew: העיר הלבנה, Ha-Ir ha-Levana; Arabic: المدينة البيضاء Al-Madinah al-Bayḍā’) is a collection of over 4,000 buildings in Tel Aviv from the 1930s built in a unique form of the Inte…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_City,_Tel_Aviv
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Tel Aviv, officially Tel Aviv-Yafo, and also known as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a p…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tel_Aviv
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Tel Aviv University (TAU) is a public research university in Tel Aviv, Israel. With over 30,000 students, it is the largest frontal learning university in the country. Located in northwest Tel Aviv, t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tel_Aviv_University
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
“The study was conducted by Prof. Haim Diamant and Prof. Yael Roichman of the School of Chemistry at Tel Aviv University, together with the research group of Prof. Stefan Egelhaaf at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The evidence provided for this claim consists only of general web search results about academic titles (Prof vs Dr) and does not contain the specific names (Haim Diamant, Yael Roichman, Stefan Egelhaaf) or institutional collaboration details required to verify the claim. The claim cannot be corroborated by independent sources.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Jerusalem International Writers Festival is an annual festival that takes place at the Mishkenot Sha'ananim Cultural Center in Jerusalem, Israel. Since the Mishkenot Sha'ananim guesthouse opened …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Jerusalem_International_Wr…
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web search NEUTRAL — 在英国高校网站的教授列表上，只有正教授（full professor）才能用Prof.这个title，其他教授都只能Dr.。 英国之所以把Prof.和Dr.分得比较开，我觉得主要一个原因是英国的教授的职称是从Lecturer 到Senior Lecturer才到Professor，并不是像美国那样有assistant/associate professor。
https://www.zhihu.com/question/323204207
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web search NEUTRAL — Jul 9, 2018 · 一般来说，有博士学位的老师，而非终身教授，都叫做Dr。 比如有些老师是lecture，但是没有博士学位，所以也不能叫做Dr。 Dr包括Lecture讲师，senior Lecture副教授。升级到教授之后，就变成了Professor。 Prof都是从Dr升上来的。但是不是所有的Dr都能升到Prof
https://www.zhihu.com/question/284461241?sort=created
+ 1 more evidence source
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“The findings were published in the journal Nature Physics.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The web search results confirm that 'Nature Physics' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal, but none of the provided evidence explicitly state that the specific findings mentioned in the claim were published in this journal. This information is likely derived from the original article and is not independently confirmed by the search results.
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web search NEUTRAL — Nature Physics, is a monthly, peer reviewed, scientific journal published by the Nature Publishing Group. It was first published in October 2005 (volume 1, issue 1). The Chief Editor is Alison Wright,…
https://phys.org/journals/nature-physics/
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web search NEUTRAL — About: Nature Physics is an academic journal published by Nature Portfolio. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Quantum & Superconductivity. It has an ISSN identifier of 1745-2473. Over the …
https://scispace.com/journals/nature-physics-2y9v06ln
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web search NEUTRAL — Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals. Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription.Additional information. Publisher’s note: Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to ju…
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41567-018-0334-2?error=cook…
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“The research focuses on colloidal materials—suspensions of microscopic particles dispersed in a liquid—which are considered an ideal model for studying the glass transition.”
CORROBORATED
Two distinct web search results (from Tel Aviv University and general science news) confirm that the research uses colloidal materials—suspensions of microscopic particles dispersed in a liquid—as an ideal model for studying the glass transition.
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web search NEUTRAL — Micelle. Particle of colloidal dimensions that exists in equilibrium with the molecules or ions in solution from which it is formed.[1][2].
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micelle
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web search NEUTRAL — Using colloids to model the transition. The research focuses on colloidal materials—suspensions of microscopic particles dispersed in a liquid—which are considered an ideal model for studying the glas…
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-microscopic-sensors-uncover-li…
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web search NEUTRAL — Using colloids to model the transition. The research focuses on colloidal materials — suspensions of microscopic particles dispersed in a liquid — which are considered an ideal model for studying the …
https://english.tau.ac.il/research/when-liquid-become-solid
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“When particle concentration is low, the system behaves like a regular liquid.”
CORROBORATED
Two web search results (from Tel Aviv University and general science news) confirm that at low particle concentration, the system behaves like a regular liquid.
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web search NEUTRAL — When particle concentration is low, the system behaves like a regular liquid.But as the system approaches the glassy state, this propagation is suppressed, and the system begins to behave like a solid…
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/microscopic-sensor…
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web search NEUTRAL — When particle concentration is low, the system behaves like a regular liquid. But as density increases, the particles increasingly restrict each other’s motion, until the entire system becomes “jammed…
https://english.tau.ac.il/research/when-liquid-become-solid
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web search NEUTRAL — The dynamics of single droplets containing non-Brownian particles are studied. The particle over droplet size ratio (r/R) is changed by using different par.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00397-020-01240-6
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“But as density increases, the particles increasingly restrict each other's motion, until the entire system becomes "jammed" and acquires the properties of an amorphous solid, similar to glass.”
CORROBORATED
Two web search results (from Tel Aviv University and general science news) confirm that increasing particle density restricts motion until the system becomes 'jammed' and acquires properties of an amorphous solid like glass.
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web search NEUTRAL — Glass is most often formed by rapid cooling (quenching) of the molten form. Some glasses such as volcanic glass are naturally occurring, and obsidian has been used to make arrowheads and knives since …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass
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web search NEUTRAL — When particle concentration is low, the system behaves like a regular liquid. But as density increases, the particles increasingly restrict each other's motion, until the entire system becomes "jammed…
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/microscopic-sensor…
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web search NEUTRAL — Amorphous Solid does not have a long-range order of arrangement of their constituent particles. However, they may possess small regions of orderly arrangement. These crystalline parts of an otherwise …
https://byjus.com/chemistry/amorphous-solid/
info
“The researchers' key innovation is the use of particularly small and highly mobile particles embedded within a system of larger particles undergoing the glass transition.”
SINGLE SOURCE
Two web search results (from Tel Aviv University and general science news) confirm the core concept: the use of small, mobile particles within a system undergoing the glass transition. However, the specific phrasing about 'key innovation' and the detailed mechanism is primarily sourced from the original reporting, and no other independent sources corroborate this specific methodological detail.
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web search NEUTRAL — Discover the world's scientific knowledge | With 25+ million researchers, 1+ million questions, and 160+ million publication pages, this is where everyone can access science
https://www.researchgate.net/search/researcher
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web search NEUTRAL — Mar 19, 2025 · This abstract explores the function of reflexivity in qualitative research, emphasizing the importance of reflexivity in protocols for observations and interviews. Understanding how res…
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/389953235_Reflexivi…
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web search NEUTRAL — Apr 24, 2024 · In this study, we interviewed 15 researchers who had tried using the emotion coding technique, about their impressions of this technique and the role of emotion in qualitative research …
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/380061658_The_Role_…
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“While the larger particles gradually lose their ability to move, the smaller particles remain mobile, allowing the team to measure how the surrounding medium changes.”
CORROBORATED
Two web search results confirm the mechanism: that while larger particles lose mobility, the smaller particles remain mobile, enabling the measurement of changes in the surrounding medium.
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web search NEUTRAL — While the larger particles gradually lose their ability to move, the smaller particles remain mobile, allowing the team to measure how the surrounding medium changes. Using advanced microscopy, the re…
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-microscopic-sensors-uncover-li…
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web search NEUTRAL — The researchers' key innovation is the use of extremely small, mobile particles, integrated into a system of larger particles that undergo the glass transition.
https://hayadan.com/glass-transition-tel-aviv-university-che…
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web search NEUTRAL — These so-called massless particles are arguably the best candidates for the “smallest,” too. One Question, Many Answers. Strictly speaking of bosons, or force-carrying particles, the clear winner of t…
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/whats-the-smalles…
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“Using advanced microscopy, the researchers measured the coordinated motion of pairs of small particles, examining how the movement of one affects the other, along different directions and at varying distances.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
Although the claim describes a specific advanced microscopy technique (measuring coordinated motion of pairs), the evidence gathered returned zero relevant search results, making it impossible to verify or corroborate this specific methodological detail.
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“The results paint a clear picture: in the liquid state, motion spreads over long distances through the fluid.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
The claim describes a specific finding about motion spreading over long distances in the liquid state. However, the evidence gathered returned zero relevant search results, making it impossible to verify or corroborate this finding.
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“But as the system approaches the glassy state, this propagation is suppressed, and the system begins to behave like a solid that absorbs momentum instead of transmitting it.”
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“The researchers identified three clear signatures of the transition: a pronounced change in how the decay of correlations varies with distance; the emergence of a new characteristic length scale that grows with the material's viscosity; and even opposing motions between neighboring particles—evidence of the development of resistance to shear, a fundamental property of solids.”
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“The experimental findings precisely confirmed theoretical predictions made by the same team several years ago.”
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“The new method may be used to study gels, soft materials, active systems, and even biological tissues—areas in which it is difficult to pinpoint when a system stops "flowing" and begins to solidify.”
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“The significance of this research lies not only in identifying new signatures of the glass transition, but also in offering a fresh perspective on the phenomenon as a whole.”
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“Our findings show that the glass transition is not merely a gradual slowing of particle motion, but is accompanied by a profound change in the way momentum is transmitted from point to point within the material.”
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“The use of small tracer particles as hydrodynamic probes opens the possibility of examining the emergence of solid-like properties even before the system actually ceases to flow, and may provide a new tool for studying soft materials and complex systems in which the transition from liquid to solid is difficult to measure.”
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“Patrick Laermann et al, Emergent signatures of the glass transition in colloidal suspensions, Nature Physics (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s41567-025-03140-z”
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info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.