Scientists Build World's Most Sensitive Scale

Adrian Bachtold at the Catalan Institute of Nanotechnology in Barcelona has created the world's most sensitive scale. The new subatomic weight scale can measure masses as tiny as one yoctogram, less than the mass of a proton. From the article: "Bachtold hopes the scales could be used to distinguish different elements in chemical samples, which might differ only by a few protons. They might also diagnose health conditions by identifying proton-scale differences in molecular mass that are markers of disease."

Comments

Buying one will put you on "the list"

[pecosdave]

It's bad enough that model builders have to worry about cops making a big deal about owning precision scales. Now they're worried about coke dealer splitting granules.

Re:Buying one will put you on "the list"

[Dishevel]

Where ever you fall on the bell curve does not matter. If I want a scale that is accurate to 1/1000th of a gram for measuring flour then I should be able to buy one without government agencies drilling into my life. If I want cold medication I should not have to remember to bring my ID. At a certain point people have to tell their governments to "fuck right off". When we do not we lose our rights and our freedoms.