Traffic Control for Molecules
Our cells contain small protein factories which have to deliver materials inside the cell via a network of microtubules. And the transportation is carried out by biomolecular motors. Now, researchers from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands have built a traffic control system able to force individual molecules to choose between 'roads' by applying strong electrical fields locally at Y-junctions. This traffic control system can potentially lead to new nano-fabrication techniques.
Hey, moving individual molecules around...what a great idea! It's too bad these guys are barking up the wrong tree. Everyone knows that moving individual molecules around requires tiny pincers (which could never be built) and is, therefore, impossible.
