{"id":67104,"date":"2026-09-02T04:39:46","date_gmt":"2026-09-01T19:39:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/phys-edu.net\/wp\/?p=67104"},"modified":"2026-09-02T04:39:46","modified_gmt":"2026-09-01T19:39:46","slug":"gravity-no-problem-meet-the-micro-mountaineers-inside-your-sponge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/phys-edu.net\/wp\/?p=67104&lang=en","title":{"rendered":"Gravity? No Problem! Meet the “Micro Mountaineers” Inside Your Sponge"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019m Ken Kuwako, your Science Trainer. Every day is an experiment.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Wiping up spilled water in the kitchen with a cloth, or soaking up water with a sponge after taking a bath\u2014these everyday actions actually involve something rather surprising: water moving against gravity. Try dipping a piece of kitchen paper into a cup of tea, for example, and you\u2019ll see the liquid mysteriously creeping upward. Why does this happen?<\/p>\n

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Let\u2019s take a closer look at the amazing mechanism that allows sponges and cloths to soak up water.<\/p>\n

A Porous Structure That Draws in Water<\/h3>\n

Take a close look at a sponge and you\u2019ll see that it\u2019s filled with countless tiny holes. A structure like this is called \u201cporous.\u201d<\/b> Inside a sponge is a tangled maze of tiny channels and gaps, almost like a miniature jungle. These countless \u201ctiny spaces\u201d are the key to its ability to draw water upward.<\/p>\n

Capillary Action<\/h3>\n

The main reason kitchen paper, cloths, and even sponges can pull water upward is a phenomenon called \u201ccapillary action.\u201d<\/b> When a narrow tube or passage comes into contact with a liquid, the liquid can creep upward, seemingly defying gravity.<\/p>\n