Scientists at Stanford University have been at the forefront of the growing field of nanotechnology. While the field is still in its infancy, it has a fairly impressive track record of breakthroughs. One of these is a test that determines the structures of atoms within a single molecule. This specific nanostructure is a thermocarrier, and researchers have managed to identify it as COVID-19 – a variant of COVID-18 and again COVID-18. It’s the same as COVID-18 in its complexity, but all three of the variants are believed to be dominated by a single helical symmetry of the chains that fit together.
Stanford professor Colin Nelson and his colleagues have been using this technique to use photons of light to identify the structure of molecules by their appearance on a detector. Because the structure of a molecule can only be determined when light hits the surface of the molecule, researchers are able to use high-powered light to reveal the chemistry of an entire molecule. For example, when researchers used the method to a beer filter, it revealed that the beer inside was too thin to hold a chemical mix. It also reveals some interesting differences in structure between different types of beer, as some were thicker than others.
Those who enjoy science news should definitely check out this story from the Stanford University News Center. To ensure a sustainable environment for future generations, the team has created the next generation of carbon nanotubes, which can be used to build nano-scale communications networks, biological sensors and even high-bandwidth sensors, with future applications in everything from cyborg implants to quantum computing.
Find Benjamin Felsenstein on Twitter @freenelson.