Another incremental step towards the realization of nanotechnology. It seems as though we're seeing one or two news stories like this every week.
In a typical chemistry lab, the smallest containers hold just two millilitres of liquid.
But despite their size, these tiny glass tubes still contain billions of atoms.
Now, there are "nano test tubes", so small they hold just a few hundred atoms.
Such containers, with a diameter equivalent to about 20 atoms, have been manufactured by experts at the University of Nottingham, UK.
It won't be long before these incremental changes begin to add up in unexpected ways. The nano future may be a lot closer than many of us think.
Meanwhile, while I was not linking to things earlier this week, this excellent summation of the field appeared in The New Atlantis. This article is so good that it made a partial, begrudging believer out of nano-realist Charles Murtaugh. He still says he doubts he'll see any of it in his lifetime, but then he's skeptical about extreme life extension, too. Even so, if Charlie's starting to come on board, I take that as even more proof that things are speeding up.
Posted by Phil at September 5, 2003 08:38 AM | TrackBack