Feynman would be proud

The world’s most powerful electron microscope is now in operation. It can resolve individual atoms due to the correction of spherical aberration. This is similar to the correction of chromic aberration in the optical microscope by Joseph Jackson Lister whose only surviving son would conquer infection 30 years later.

The TEAM device will allow resolution of the atomic structure of molecules. I don’t know enough about this to understand how it will avoid destruction of biological specimens due to the high energy of the electrons. One older variant is the scanning electron microscope, which requires coating of soft biological specimens with metal before scanning.

Richard Feynman was an enthusiast about nanotechnology and once offered a prize of $25,000 for anyone who could design and build a working electric motor that was smaller than 1 mm. The Prize has now grown to $250,000 but the first prize was from Feynman’s own pocket. In his biography, he says that several people came around with tiny devices but none met his criteria until one day a fellow came in with a wooden box. He opened the box and took out a microscope. Feynman wrote, “That’s when I knew I was in trouble.” With the microscope, he showed Feynman the tiny electric motor, too small to be seen with the naked eye. He won the prize.

Feynman would be very proud of this TEAM microscope. Although he would want it to be smaller

2 Responses to “Feynman would be proud”

  1. Or Ben Stein, previously a pretty good writer, makes a fool of himself over evolution.

  2. Eric Blair says:

    It’s never fun to get people stirred up about this, but check out the website for the movie.

    http://www.expelledthemovie.com/

    The problem is exacerbated by academics who say pretty personal things, and make what ought to be scientific become personal and political. It is MUCH better to simply say: we are going to stick to science. As for ejecting a professor for injecting religion into the classroom, I have no problem with it, but we sure don’t seem to mind when professors spout Marxist nonsense in class.

    How much better to stick to the science.