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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