Researcher Uses Focused Gallium Ions To Build A Microscopic Gingerbread House (www.cbc.ca) 17
"Travis Casagrande, a research associate at the Canadian Centre for Electron Microscopy at Hamilton's McMaster University has created the smallest gingerbread house ever built," writes long-time Slashdot reader Mr.Fork, "even smaller than the one made in France last year by nanorobotics researchers at the Femto-ST Institute in BesanÃon."
"Decking the halls is a whole lot harder when you're decorating something 10 times smaller than a human hair," reports the CBC: Casagrande's creation is a home for the holidays -- a gingerbread house complete with a wreath over the door, a cheery brick chimney, Christmas tree details carved into the walls and a patriotic Canadian flag doormat.
"Compared to the size of a typical gingerbread house that you might buy in a grocery store kit, mine is 20,000 times smaller," he explained... Zoom out slightly from the silicon structure and you'll see it's actually perched atop a smiling snowman that's giving a mischievous wink. Pull back even farther and a seemingly massive cylinder appears -- believe it or not, that's a human hair... "The point of that was sort of to make some jaws drop when you realize even the snowman, which is much bigger than the house, is extremely tiny compared to the hair you see next...."
Casagrande used a focused ion beam microscope to etch out the microscopic details with a beam of charged gallium ions, which he compared to a sandblaster... " I wanted to spark some curiosity of science because that leads to better science literacy."
"Decking the halls is a whole lot harder when you're decorating something 10 times smaller than a human hair," reports the CBC: Casagrande's creation is a home for the holidays -- a gingerbread house complete with a wreath over the door, a cheery brick chimney, Christmas tree details carved into the walls and a patriotic Canadian flag doormat.
"Compared to the size of a typical gingerbread house that you might buy in a grocery store kit, mine is 20,000 times smaller," he explained... Zoom out slightly from the silicon structure and you'll see it's actually perched atop a smiling snowman that's giving a mischievous wink. Pull back even farther and a seemingly massive cylinder appears -- believe it or not, that's a human hair... "The point of that was sort of to make some jaws drop when you realize even the snowman, which is much bigger than the house, is extremely tiny compared to the hair you see next...."
Casagrande used a focused ion beam microscope to etch out the microscopic details with a beam of charged gallium ions, which he compared to a sandblaster... " I wanted to spark some curiosity of science because that leads to better science literacy."
Ten times smaller? (Score:2)
What does that mean, exactly? I assume they meant '1/10th the diameter' but c'mon.
Re: (Score:2)
"What does that mean, exactly? I assume they meant '1/10th the diameter' but c'mon."
Their 'gingerbread house' isn't made out of gingerbread either.
Re: (Score:2)
Their 'gingerbread house' isn't made out of gingerbread either.
Gallium melts at 85F. So it will liquefy from the warmth of a human hand.
You certainly can't put it in the oven.
Last Christmas I got my son 100g of gallium from eBay. Fun stuff. Pour it in a wax mold, and then pop it into the refrigerator to harden. Drop it in warm water to liquify it again.
Re: (Score:2)
Not just this reporter but also the guy who did it: "Compared to the size of a typical gingerbread house that you might buy in a grocery store kit, mine is 20,000 times smaller," he explained.
a patriotic Canadian flag doormat (Score:1)
Is it patriotic to use the flag as a doormat?
Re: (Score:3)
Is it patriotic to use the flag as a doormat?
Yes. People that successfully push freedom to the limit strengthen those rights for the rest of us. I have a great appreciation for flag desecrators. They harm no one but help us all.
Re: (Score:1)
Learn something new (Score:2)
I am conflicted (Score:2)
I want to laud this guy for some very creative work. But it does seem like a waste of Canadian tax dollars.
I would not eat any part of it (Score:2)
Delicious. (Score:3)
When a reporter jokingly asked if he was going to eat the gingerbread house he sorrowfully admitted, "I didn't mean to but I inhaled it." ;)
Even in the Bay Area, this could rent for $500/mo (Score:2)
BUT...only vegans could fit in it.
Gingerbread? (Score:3)
It's not a Gingerbread House unless it's made out of gingerbread.
Re: Gingerbread? (Score:2)
By your definition, this is just as much a gingerbread house as what you end up with from one of the kits that you buy in the store.
Re: (Score:2)
That depends on the kit. The ones I consider valid include a recipe, flour, etc. Or just the recipe, instructions, and a bunch of stencils that you use to cut the gingerbread into the right shapes.
But I really don't see why any decent cook would need the kit.