Sunday, April 14, 2002

Microscopy turning Nanoscopy " . . . the scanning tunneling microscope as well as the atomic force microscope. Today, these microscopes have an extremely high performance and a high enough resolution to display features on a molecular level. Such microscopes tend have one crucial drawback however, insofar as they are usually limited to viewing the surface of a specimen or to viewing a very thin layer. It is due to this fact that light microscopes have remained indispensable in biological and medical research. Not only do they provide three-dimensional images of live cells, they can also map out biochemical processes inside the cell." "Fluorescence microscopy permits us to target as well as to mark specific sub-cellular components with dyes. After exposing them to light, they fluoresce, thereby disclosing their exact location to us." "This advance for the first time allowed resolutions well below 50 nm- something almost inconceivable for a light microscope using conventional objectives and focused light. . . . Dyba and Hell's pioneering experiment shows for the first time that it is indeed possible to increase the focus into the double-digit nanometer range." ... [more] 12:43:26 PM  Google It!  comment  []

Drexler declares nanotechnology victory "Defining his discussion of 'mega-nanotechnology,' Drexler said the ability to rearrange matter within the bounds of natural physics promised the ability to create a number of profoundly disruptive technologies in the future." " . . . he characterized the 'revolution' of Web services as not being about so much the reality of tools and services, but one of conceptual thinking that Web services will happen. 'And that revolution in thinking is happening right now,' he said." ... [more] 12:35:32 PM  Google It!  comment  []