World's Smallest

We’ve all accidentally tied knots that we can’t untangle – but we don’t expect to win any world records. Now scientists have done exactly that, accidentally tying the world’s smallest and tightest knot in a tiny structure made of just 54 atoms.

Australian scientists have created the world’s smallest moustache, tiny enough to be modeled by a single red blood cell. Measuring just 5 microns wide, the micro-mo was designed to raise awareness for men’s health.

By combining miniaturized electronics with some origami-inspired fabrication, scientists have developed what they say is the smallest microsupercapacitor in existence. It's smaller than a speck of a dust but boasts a similar voltage to a AAA battery.

A tiny new species of chameleon has been discovered, and it may be the smallest reptile in the world. Known as Brookesia nana, or the nano-chameleon, the petite species can perch on a fingertip and may have the smallest adult males of any vertebrate.

Some of the most useful tools are the ones that allow you to grab something. However, what if that "something" is very, very small? Well, that's where a new light-activated micro-gripper could come in – it's said to be the world's smallest.

Although tiny houses are becoming increasingly popular, many people wonder if they could ever actually live in one. Well, those folks would be particularly challenged by a new gingerbread-style house, as it’s smaller than the width of a human hair.

​OK, we know that tiny houses are becoming increasingly popular, but this is really taking things to an extreme. In order to demonstrate the capabilities of a new nanorobotic system, French scientists have built a "microhouse" that sits on the cleaved end of an optical fiber.

​We've already seen bracelets that monitor the wearer's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. Now, L’Oréal has teamed up with Northwestern University to create a thumbnail-mounted gadget that does the same job. According to the university, it is the world's smallest wearable device.

Professor J.C. Chiao and his postdoc Dr. Smitha Rao of the University of Texas at Arlington have developed a MEMS-based nickel alloy windmill so small that 10 could be mounted on a single grain of rice. They are aimed at very-small-scale energy harvesting applications.

For those who didn't know that physicists are really frustrated Pixar animators, it will be surprising to learn that scientists at IBM Almaden in California have produced the world’s smallest animated movie.

German scientists have created the world's smallest magnetic data storage unit, which can store one bit of information using 12 atoms.

Researchers at the University of Stuttgart claim to have developed "the world's smallest steam engine," consisting of a single particle.