The World's Smallest Violin, and What It Has To Do With Your iPhone
Nanolitho... Nanilitha... Hmm. Ahem. Nanolithography is the process of fabricating, etching, or printing patterns on a material’s surface at the nanometer (one billionth of a meter) scale. It’s OK, we had to look it up, too.
It’s probably not a word you hear in everyday life, but you’re likely familiar with some of the results. You’re probably reading this on one of those results, because it’s a prominent part of building phones and computers — both things that rely on technology that allows manufacturers to pattern incredibly small things. The process is similar to screen printing, where you create a stencil of your design, lay your screen onto your material, pour on the paint, and lift your screen to reveal the design. Nanolithography uses a similar method, but on a much, much, much smaller scale. Way smaller stuff than you’d ever get your pencil sharp enough to sketch!
For example, scientists have created the world’s smallest violin at 13 microns wide and 40 microns tall. To put it in perspective, a micron is 0.000001 m, and one single human hair is between 15 and 120 microns. So you probably can’t play the violin, but it’d be really easy to pack in your bag.
Aside from being cool, learning how to work with material at this teeny tiny scale can open up new possibilities in technology, and is crucial for making improvements.
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In the early days of the industry, governments were cautious and mostly bought from companies with a proven track record. Now they're more willing to take chances on newer companies.
If quantum computing keeps growing, it could eventually change fields like medicine, by helping scientists design new drugs, and finance. It could also become a bigger part of the economy.
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It's not news (to these scientists, at least) that just two genes were linked to these behaviors, but comparing these 3D maps helped them learn more about the connection between those genes and the specific brain circuits producing the behavior.
Researchers hope the same logic around connecting genes to brain wiring to behavior can eventually be applied to other animals and maybe even humans! This might help scientists investigate conditions with strong genetic influences, including schizophrenia and autism.
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This “fight fire with fire” method of mosquito control is new in the United States, but similar approaches have already been used elsewhere. Places like Singapore have reduced mosquito populations by roughly 80–90%.
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According to the Met Office, the UK's national weather and climate service, people may be getting a little too relaxed about the weather. Conditions that once would have seemed extreme are starting to feel normal.
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At least, that's how it's supposed to work. There are signs this current may be slowing down. If it weakens a lot, the UK could lose some of that warmth. That could bring colder winters and even bigger swings in the weather, on top of the heat.