Nanometers

Scientists have accidentally created a new material thought for more than 100 years to be impossible. A single gram of Upsalite has a surface area of 800 sq m, equivalent to the sail of a megayacht.

Nanotechnology promises to revolutionize practically every area of human endeavor. Already products containing nanoparticles are lining supermarket shelves, but the big question is, are they safe?

Researchers are looking to cram more transistors onto integrated circuits by adapting the same methods used in fusion-energy research to create extremely thin plasma beams for a new class of 'nanolithography'.