Maxwell's Demon Soon A Reality?

DMiax writes "Reuters reports that a group of scientists from University of Edimburgh may have realized a nanomolecular engine - a Maxwell's Demon. The device selects and traps other molecules based on their direction of motion. Physicist James Maxwell first imagined the nano-scale device in 1867, and the research team cites him as the basis for their understanding of how lights, heat, and molecules interact. The device is powered by light, and may spur advances in nano-scale technology to new heights in coming years."

Comments

Ah, I love mass media science reporting

[hairykrishna]

"Journalist misses whole point of Maxwells demon, news at 11"

His other not-so-famous work

[0xABADC0DA]

Pity the researchers weren't able to create Maxwell's lesser-known "Angel", a device that -- using no power at all -- sits on a barrier and sorts molecules based on their goodness. All matter composed of "charm", "up" and "top" quarks collect on one side, whereas matter composed of the hateful 'strange', 'down', and 'bottom' quarks collect on the other.

This would totally change the world in the short term by finally providing a means to mass-produce holy water, and eventually even purifying the entire world of 'evil' particles (ie collect all the hateful particles together, send them up on the 'space elevator to heaven' and launch into the void).

Re:His other not-so-famous work

[isaac]

Flavorist! That strange quark never got to chose to be strange - it was just made that way. It's not fair to discriminate on that basis.

-Isaac

Lack of diagrams

[LiquidCoooled]

I notice there wasn't a schematic or diagram of the engine, but I scoured the web and managed to find one.

Here it is:

      .

Obligatory Simpson's quote

[avitzur]

"Lisa! In this house we obey the law of thermodymanics" - Homer Simpson.