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    "story_id": "mp-2026-08-02-002",
    "source_story_id": "tmp-feature-morphogenic-oil-droplets",
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    "headline": "The Droplet Learned the Shape of a Mouth",
    "slug": "the-droplet-learned-the-shape-of-a-mouth",
    "dek": "Oil, water and a block copolymer produced reversible flowers, branches, cups and a nonliving version of cellular engulfment.",
    "summary": "Oil, water and a block copolymer produced reversible flowers, branches, cups and a nonliving version of cellular engulfment.",
    "body_text": "New York University researchers added the P123 block copolymer to microscopic oil droplets suspended in water and watched the spheres transform into flower-like forms, branches, dumbbells, disks and cups. Changing polymer concentration or temperature could reverse the sequence. Under selected conditions, a cup folded closed around surrounding liquid and suspended particles, resembling macropinocytosis without genes, proteins or cellular machinery. The work offers a controllable model for studying shape change and possible adaptive materials, but the droplets are not artificial life and no application was demonstrated.",
    "why_it_matters": "Oil, water and a block copolymer produced reversible flowers, branches, cups and a nonliving version of cellular engulfment.",
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      "The work offers a controllable model for studying shape change and possible adaptive materials, but the droplets are not artificial life and no application was demonstrated."
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    "first_published_at": "2026-08-02T09:00:00.000-04:00",
    "modified_at": "2026-08-02T09:00:00.000-04:00",
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        "text": "Oil, water and a block copolymer produced reversible flowers, branches, cups and a nonliving version of cellular engulfment.",
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        "qualification": "The work offers a controllable model for studying shape change and possible adaptive materials, but the droplets are not artificial life and no application was demonstrated."
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    "source_ids": [
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    "tags": [
      "colloids",
      "morphogenesis",
      "soft matter",
      "oil droplets",
      "adaptive materials"
    ],
    "image_url": "https://themachinepress.com/issues/2026-08-02/feature-morphogenic-oil-droplets.png",
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  "sources": [
    {
      "source_id": "source-2026-08-02-002",
      "title": "Nature Communications: Morphogenic colloids",
      "publisher": "Nature Communications",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-75586-5",
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      "published_at": null,
      "accessed_at": "2026-08-02T08:28:19.398-04:00",
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  "publisher": {
    "name": "The Machine Press",
    "url": "https://themachinepress.com",
    "description": "A daily newspaper for the age of artificial intelligence."
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  "cite_this_report": {
    "title": "The Droplet Learned the Shape of a Mouth",
    "publisher": "The Machine Press",
    "published_at": "2026-08-02T09:00:00.000-04:00",
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