Scientists capture images of molecules forming atomic bonds

Berkeley Lab spies a molecule forming atomic bonds

For most of us, molecular bonding only really exists as a classroom concept. Some scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory can now claim more tangible knowledge, however: they’re the first to have taken truly clear snapshots of bonding in progress. While trying to create graphene nanostructures and observe them with an atomic force microscope, a lab team spotted molecules forming their individual, atom-level links during a chemical reaction. The resulting shots were nearly textbook material, too — as the molecules were neatly placed on a flat surface, the researchers identified the order and nature of each bond. While the images will only be immediately useful for the nanostructure research at hand, they may add a welcome dash of reality to future chemistry lessons.

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Via: Phys.org

Source: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

The Molecule That Stops Cancer From Spreading [Medicine]

While cancer sometimes feels like a curse on humanity, when isolated to a single organ it’s become increasingly treatable. Often, the problem comes when a cancer spreads, because it makes removing it far more difficult—but now scientists have discovered a molecule that might encourage cancer to remain in just the tissue it originally affects. More »

Bits Stored on a Single Molecule Could Lead to Petabyte SSDs [Science]

If there’s one fact of computing life, it’s that there’s never enough damn storage, and if you think it’s bad now, just wait ’til you’re downloading 4K movies. Still, research is at least keeping up, and now scientists can store bits of information on single molecules—which could pave the way for petabyte SSDs. More »

Researchers store memory bit on a lone molecule, could pave the way for petabyte SSDs

Researchers store memory bit on a molecule, get 50,000 times denser storage than hard disk The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) just deflated the size of a bit down to a solitary nanometer — the length of an organic molecule. The international research team managed it by first embedding a magnetized iron atom into a molecule made up of 51 atoms, then taking advantage of so-called memristive and spintronic properties. By applying a current, they flipped the atom’s magnetic charge, altering the resistance of the molecule as well — which they subsequently measured, storing a bit. Compared to a typical magnetic drive which needs 3 million atoms per bit, a device made this way could theoretically store 50 thousand times as much data in the same size — and would be an all-electric device, to boot. If the research ever pans out, a terabyte magnetic drive could turn into a 50 petabyte solid state unit — hopefully ready in time for all those 4K home movies you’ll need to store one day soon.

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Researchers store memory bit on a lone molecule, could pave the way for petabyte SSDs originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Jul 2012 03:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Scientists Create Molecule to Make Teeth Cavityproof [Science]

Scientists have discovered a new molecule that will make your teeth cavityproof and may change dental care forever. They have appropriately named it Keep 32—for your 32 teeth—and it can kill the bacteria that produces cavities in 60 seconds flat. More »