One of the themes I've been noticing/contemplating is the link between imaging and manipulation. At the scale of atoms the two arenas can easily overlap. This serendipitous discovery of X-ray influence on peptide crystal formation brings to mind the methods for manipulating X-rays which have gotten better in recent years. Could self assembly be affected by information imposed on X-rays?
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Keeping an eye on the ever shrinking domain of imaging, while also keeping in mind that what can image can also often manipulate. I found this patent for a metamaterial that will allow hyperlensing of ultraviolet light.
But upon reading it I am wondering if it is a patent for an actual material, or if this is another attempted patent thicket to box people out of an area of development. We've been seeing a lot of that recently.
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Pure fiction & drivel mix with fear mongering & politically motivated self-interest in this article at mi2g.
I understand the real concerns over the development of goods and materials with new or unknown properties. But this unsubstantiated pile of lies and exaggerations serves none of us well except of course for the author, who no doubt gained something, at least smug self-satisfaction, from wasting bytes and bandwidth.
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Not just for imaging? I often focus on the "thingness" of atoms in my thinking on nanotechnology but this article raises my awareness of fields and energies. The understanding & control of energy fields could lead to many advances in nano.
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