Star-making motion Quantum physicist Richard Feynman once called turbulence “the most important unsolved problem of classical physics”. Turbulence shaping the interstellar medium. The image shows a slice through turbulent gas in the world’s highest-resolution simulation of turbulence. Turbulence produces strong density contrasts, so-called shocks (see zoom-in). The interaction of these shocks is believed to play a key role in the formation of stars. Credit: Federrath et al. Nature Astronomy Even after centuries of research, scientists are still trying to understand the complex and unpredictable nature of turbulence down here on Earth, from weather patterns to blood flow in arteries.