May 1, 2013

The World’s Smallest Movie Produced by IBM

The nano-cinematographers (that’s right, we just made up that word) used a scanning tunneling microscope to move thousands of molecules and make a movie so small it can be seen only when you magnify it 100 million times.

bigthinkeditor

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

Nanophysicists have the most fun, or at least some IBM researchers do. The nanocinematographers (that’s right, we just made up that word) used a scanning tunneling microscope to move thousands of molecules and make a movie so small it can be seen only when you magnify it 100 million times.

Watch “A Boy and His Atom” here:

You can see how the movie was made here.

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

Collage of geopolitical symbols, featuring a close-up of a man's bald head, China's flag, a globe highlighting Taiwan, and circuit patterns.

The Present

Why the USSR and China fell behind the US in the Chip Cold War

Both nations made missteps, but China still has a chance to make up lost ground.

Person examining a petri dish with tweezers, holding small colored objects, against a dark background.

Health

Are microplastics really destroying our health?

They’re in our brains, hearts, and blood — but what are they doing to us?

A statue of a thoughtful, seated philosopher on the right seems to be contemplating a calling, while a standing figure holding a lyre on the left adds harmony against the textured background.

Thinking

Everyday Philosophy: Can you have a “calling” without a caller?

If you’re an atheist with a vocation, who laid that path for you?

Close-up image of a human iris featuring vibrant blue and yellow hues with a dark pupil in the center.

The mystery at the heart of consciousness

“Is it possible that consciousness is a much more basic phenomenon in nature and is essentially pervading everything?”

▸

10 min

—

with

Annaka Harris

Starts With A Bang

Ask Ethan: Does the CMB really “prove” the Big Bang?

Since the mid-1960s, the CMB has been identified with the Big Bang’s leftover glow. Could any alternative explanations still work?

Up Next

Culture & Religion

Video Screen Changes Ads Based On Eye Movement

Lancaster University researchers have created software that, when used in combination with a screen, can detect the gazes of up to 14 passersby and change advertisements accordingly.