BENGALURU: From flames dancing to music and 4D printing for biomedical applications to an interactive gut microbiome experiment showcasing the effects of antibiotics on the body, the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) turned into a hub of scientific exploration as it opened its doors to the public for Open Day 2025.
The canopied campus buzzed with over 60,000 science enthusiasts, students, and professionals on Saturday, who witnessed live experiments and hands-on demonstrations. Highlights included ‘Cloud in a Bottle,’ ‘Ocean Waves,’ and an ‘Interactive Earthquake Viewer,’ which captivated visitors of all ages.
Dancing flames
The Combustion, Gasification, and Propulsion Laboratory at the Interdisciplinary Centre for Energy Research, IISc, showcased the Ruben’s Tube experiment, where flames appeared to “dance” to music. The experiment demonstrated how sound waves create pressure variations, making the normally invisible waves visible through fire. Visitors watched as flames formed mesmerising patterns, rising and falling in sync with different sound frequencies.
Ruben’s Tube consists of a metal tube with evenly spaced holes along its top, filled with fuel gas and ignited. The sound waves were introduced from one end into the tube creating compression (high pressure, where flames rise) and rarefaction (low pressure, where flames drop) zones. These variations formed standing waves, visually representing how sound moves through a medium. By adjusting the frequency, different flame patterns emerged, explaining key principles of wave speed, frequency, and pressure differences in a striking and engaging way.
Cloud in a bottle
The Centre for Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, demonstrated the “Cloud in a Bottle” experiment, showing how clouds form in the atmosphere. Visitors watched as a sealed bottle transformed from clear air to a cloudy mist within seconds, mimicking natural cloud formation. In the experiment, a small amount of water was added to a bottle before the air inside was compressed and released suddenly. This rapid expansion caused the temperature to drop, allowing water vapour to condense into tiny droplets, forming a cloud inside the bottle.
Interactive earthquake viewer experiment
The Centre for Earth Sciences presented the Interactive Earthquake Viewer, allowing visitors to explore how earthquakes happen and what causes the ground to shake. The experiment helped people understand the role of tectonic plates, which are large pieces of the Earth’s surface that slowly move and sometimes collide or slide past each other. When too much pressure builds up between these plates, it releases energy in the form of seismic waves, leading to an earthquake.
What antibiotics do to your body?
The Gut Microbiome Model presented by the Department of Chemical Engineering, demonstrated how antibiotics affect the balance of bacteria in our digestive system. Many people believe that antibiotics only target harmful bacteria, but this experiment showed that they kill both good and bad bacteria, disrupting the natural balance of the gut microbiome.