Molecular scissors

Embargoed: Sunday, March 25, 9:30 a.m., Central Time
Length – 1:01
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In the world of molecules, it’s amazing how small scientists can make things.

For example, at the national meeting of the American Chemical Society in Chicago, researchers from Japan reported they’ve developed molecular-scale scissors that measure just three nanometers in length.

To help put that in prospective, the head of a pin, by comparison, is absolutely gigantic … about 1 million nanometers wide.

But the neat thing about these tiny three-nanometer scissors isn’t just their size … it’s the fact that they open and close in response to light. And that’s a first, according to the scientists.

Researchers are enthusiastic about the development because they say it provides them with a simple way to manipulate genes and other molecules.

I’m Marvin Coyner in Washington for the American Chemical Society – improving people’s lives through the transforming power of chemistry.

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