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Scientists Weigh Smallest Mass Ever

Posted by Zonk on from the teeeeeeeeny-tiiiiiiiiny-thingie dept.

PaSTE writes "From the article, 'US scientists have managed to measure the mass of a cluster of xenon atoms at just a few billionths of a trillionth of a gram - or a few zeptograms. The record measurement is in the mass range of individual protein molecules, and the detection was made using sensitive scales developed at Caltech.' Another big leap forward for nanotechnology."

8 of 199 comments (clear)

  1. Real by ajs · · Score: 2, Informative

    Article pointed to is from the 30th, two days ago, so it's not A.F. fodder.

  2. RTFA...this is NOT A joke. by Mr_eX9 · · Score: 3, Informative

    This was posted on BBC on March 30.

  3. Smallest Mass Ever?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    This isn't the smallest mass ever measured, if it's anything it might be the smallest mass ever measured with something that's essientially mechanical.
    Usually people use different tools when it comes to measuring things with masses in this range - a mass spectrometer for example .
    As for measuring really light things using the change in frequency of something that's vibrating that's not new ... http://www.vetscite.org/publish/items/000305/ And what about physists who come up with masses for the fundamental particles??

  4. Re:A few xenon atoms.. Whoppie-doo by the_2nd_coming · · Score: 4, Informative

    I think they mean DIRECTLY measured.

    --



    I am the Alpha and the Omega-3
  5. Some more info by karvind · · Score: 5, Informative

    Professor Roukes' homepage has a link to his earlier published paper on attogram mass detection (2004). The abstract mentions that mass sensing of individual molecules will be realizable with optimized NEMS devices. Also there is link to paper which discusses the ultimate limit to mass sensing based on NEMS. Needless to say that so far it is not the physics of these nanostructures but the extrinsic amplifier noise which limited the measurement.

  6. Re:1 zeptogram = 2.20462262 × 10-24 pounds by GretaGarbo · · Score: 3, Informative

    In British English groups of people (organizations, corportations, etc.) are referred to in the plural.

  7. Re:Well this help get rid of physical kilogram? by UlfGabe · · Score: 2, Informative

    Avagadroes number is known.

    A#~=6.02x10^23 molecules per mol.

    weighing out the stuff will still require a standardized mass as electrons,protons, and neutrons all have different masses.

    you simply cannot say,

    Egads! there are 0452803598204499410100100 molecules in this sample.

    you would still have to find out the number of different elementary particles.

    --
    Check journal for info on Anti-TextBook, an idea by me.
  8. Re:1 zeptogram = 2.20462262 × 10-24 pounds by pmc · · Score: 4, Informative

    Almost - it depends on the context:

    "The Board is the highest decision-making body in the company."

    and

    "The Board are split on the issue."

    See Economist Style Guide for the details.