Molecule imaged for first time.

[RandFan]

Single molecule, one million times smaller than a grain of sand, pictured for first time


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1209726/Single-molecule-million-times-smaller-grain-sand-pictured-time.html#ixzz0PgWC2hAs (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1209726/Single-molecule-million-times-smaller-grain-sand-pictured-time.html#ixzz0PgWC2hAs)

[Eos of the Eons]

Now, THAT is beautiful!

[applecorped]

Looks like my ex.

[Madalch]

That's not the first time this technique has been used to generate pictures of molecules. I'm sure I saw a similar picture of a benzene molecule about twenty years ago.

[Beerina]

Cool! Their editing needs a little work, though:

To give some perspective, the space between the carbon rings is only 0.14 nanometers across, which is roughly one million times smaller than the diameter of a grain of sand.

[RandFan]

That's not the first time this technique has been used to generate pictures of molecules. I'm sure I saw a similar picture of a benzene molecule about twenty years ago.I thought I saw a picture of a molecule before also but then we know that if it is in the news it has to be true.

[fuelair]

http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/08/27/2046556.aspx

gives the distinction between this and the previous molecule photos.

[bokonon]

Kind of neat, but not that much neater than what came before. It looks to me like they've just found a slightly better tip for their scanning tunneling microscope. We've "known" what pentene molecules looked like for decades already, so the image doesn't add to our knowledge base. From the technique (still STM, or a variation of it), it doesn't seem likely that this will actually enable scientists to "see" the structures of anything interesting -- you're pretty much limited to flat surfaces, or flat molecules. No one's going to be mapping proteins using this molecule probe.

It may be that this will take us one step closer to eventually being able to "build" molecules atom by atom, which would be useful.

[Singularitarian]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8225491.stm

The detail is absolutely gripping.

[steve s]

Cool! Their editing needs a little work, though:


Quote:
To give some perspective, the space between the carbon rings is only 0.14 nanometers across, which is roughly one million times smaller than the diameter of a grain of sand.




And instead of saying "one million times smaller," wouldn't it be better to say "one millionth the size?"

Steve S

[MattusMaximus]

That is impressive, but hardly new. When I was in graduate school in 1995, I used an atomic force microscope to image and resolve individual carbon atoms in a graphite lattice. Yup, folks, that's right... I'm one of the few people you'll ever meet who can honestly say they've seen atoms :)

[arthwollipot]

Looks like my ex.I think it looks more like Darth Vader.

[Uncayimmy]

There's a thread on Rapture Ready about this as well. The difference in reactions is interesting:
http://www.rr-bb.com/showthread.php?t=106724

[a_unique_person]

I thought MRI was doing something similar already, not to mention cyclotrons.

[MattusMaximus]

There's a thread on Rapture Ready about this as well. The difference in reactions is interesting:
http://www.rr-bb.com/showthread.php?t=106724

:gasp: *barfs*

[Eos of the Eons]

There's a thread on Rapture Ready about this as well. The difference in reactions is interesting:
http://www.rr-bb.com/showthread.php?t=106724
Perfect? Why does everything have to be described as PERFECT? I remember at TAM, when Julia Sweeney was talking about her daughter during her "Letting go of god" presentation. Some church lady said something about Julia's adopted daugher being so perfectly beautiful that she could see god's work or god shining through or whatever. Julia wondered what the churchy lady saw in less than perfectly beautiful children.
We humans are very less than perfect, but I guess we can't blame those perfectly made molecules, hah.

[Starthinker]

That is impressive, but hardly new. When I was in graduate school in 1995, I used an atomic force microscope to image and resolve individual carbon atoms in a graphite lattice. Yup, folks, that's right... I'm one of the few people you'll ever meet who can honestly say they've seen atoms :)

I'm looking at atoms right now.

[pgwenthold]

Bah. Pentacene is boring. Let them get an image of pentalene, then I'll be impressed.

[rjh01]

A very good youtube explaining what happened. If you like this one then you will enjoy his others.

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