Schematic of a crystal of knots. Credit: Jung-Shen B. Tai and Ivan I. Smalyukh Molecular self-assembly can produce stable 3D knots in chiral liquid crystals. The knots, which have been dubbed ...

Humans have known for generations that some knots are stronger than others. This is apparent in sailing, where different types of knots are used for different needs. What exactly makes one type of ...

Physicists at CU Boulder have gone to creative lengths to earn their scouting merit badges for knot-tying. In a study published today in the journal Science, a team of researchers discovered a new way ...

Knot theory, a branch of topology dedicated to the study of embeddings of circles in three-dimensional space, intersects deeply with homotopy theory—the study of continuous deformations between ...

Around age six, we start learning how to tie our shoelaces, making knots that look like ribbons -- or possibly more complex forms, if we are a little clumsy. We use knots every day, but the type of ...

Physicists have discovered a new way to tie microscopic knots within a solution of liquid crystals. Physicists at the University of Colorado Boulder have gone to creative lengths to earn their ...