[Sci/Tech] Scientists create material one atom thick

[The Helper]

The foundations of the universe have been glimpsed in Manchester by scientists who have created the thinnest possible material.

Flat, parallel sheets of carbon atoms in the graphite of pencil lead have been peeled apart by the scientists to yield a sheet a single atom thick that has peculiar properties which made the fundamental feat possible.

This new material, called graphene, is exciting physicists worldwide because it provides the wherewithal to probe the workings of the universe and without the need for exotic equipment, such as the £4.5 billion atom smasher being readied for use near Geneva.

Find out more about the discovery here.

 

[Turnip]

One day, scientists are going to f**k up, and end all life on Earth.

 

[diggoran]

if it's that thin, would it break, or simply cut through everything in the universe? (This reminds me of the book, The Subtle Knife, sequal to The Golden Compass!)

 

[Newbwc3]

Well there's no way to make somthing thinner than one atom, since all things are made of atoms.

One day, scientists are going to f**k up, and end all life on Earth.

yep.

 

[diggoran]

actually there are things smaller than atoms. atoms are made of protons, neutrons, and electrons. Electrons are about 8% the size of protons. Protons are alsom made of 3 quarks which i didn't know about until last year. Recently I learned that electrons are made of leptons. It's actually quite facinating. Now: what are leptons made of?

 

[Andyoyo]

Graphene behaves as if the electrical current within it is not carried by normal electrons but by charged particles with no mass at all. Scientists call them "Dirac fermions" and love to study them, says Prof Geim.

Can anyone explain this, how this is even possible.. Sounds very interesting, I've never heard of Dirac fermions. Anyone heard of these?

 

[diggoran]

yes and no. What you heard is all there is to it. Almost supernatural, I avoid thinking about these cause it's hard to beleive. Again you must read the His Dark Materials series (The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass). These books are pretty advanced because they put this new knowlege into a hardly beleivable fictional context. Caution: it's a tiny bit anti-Christian.

 

[WolSHaman]

One day, scientists are going to f**k up, and end all life on Earth.

What makes you say that?

 

[Seb!]

actually there are things smaller than atoms. atoms are made of protons, neutrons, and electrons. Electrons are about 8% the size of protons. Protons are alsom made of 3 quarks which i didn't know about until last year. Recently I learned that electrons are made of leptons. It's actually quite facinating. Now: what are leptons made of?

Protons are 2036 times as big as electrons.

 

[Turnip]

What makes you say that?

Scientists are creating and working with things they should not. One small mistake could trigger an explosion, or even (in more unrealistic yet still plausible cases) the destruction of the universe.

 

[sjakie]

Scientists are creating and working with things they should not. One small mistake could trigger an explosion, or even (in more unrealistic yet still plausible cases) the destruction of the universe.

Well, universe it a bit to much, but they'll destroy the earth once. But look at it this way:

A: We're getting our humanoid asses blown up anyway when the sun turns into a nova.

b: By the time scientist have stuf they can screw up so bad it blows up the entire earth without any intensions we're dead for sure.

 

[ShadowTek]

Well there's no way to make somthing thinner than one atom, since all things are made of atoms.

Actually, most of the internal area of what we refer to as an atom is made up of large amounts of empty space. The outermost diameter of any particular atom is determined by the outermost electron's orbital path.

 

[UnknowVector]

>Scientists are creating and working with things they should not. One small mistake could trigger an explosion, or even (in more unrealistic yet still plausible cases) the destruction of the universe.

Remember that little process we discovered? Nuclear fission? Come on man, if we didn't blow ourselves up with that, we can handle a few atoms .

>The odds are that graphene can be used to make ballistic transistors - ultimately faster than any current technology. "A ballistic transistor is one in which electrons can shoot through without collisions, like a bullet," he says

??? A transistor allows one current to control rather or not another current flows. How are they going to duplicate that with this stuff?

 

[BANANAMAN]

One day, scientists are going to f**k up, and end all life on Earth.

Tell me something i don't know..