"Water Tractor Beam" Makes a Splash

A new paper from researchers at the Australian National University is making waves in physics this month; the group claims to have developed a "tractor beam" of sorts. However, as is usual for claims of science-fiction technology made real, there's a catch--it won't be useful for pulling in rogue spaceships, but it might one day find applications helping guide the path of steamships. The report details the creation of never-before-seen flow patterns using waves on the surface of water in a shall...