In Particular
Nanoparticles cannot be seen as they are very,
very tiny - this can be a cause for concern. When we can't see
things, we think we can't control them but this doesn't mean that,
by default, they are a menace. We can't see the air we breathe but
we are not afraid of it! Nanotechnology is a way of finding out
about systems, reactions and manufacturing capabilities at the
nanoscale, it is as much about learning about the 'tiniverse' as it
is about manipulating it.
Invention
Stretched to its limit, the canvas was as taut
as possible. He tied it off securely and moved into the bushes,
leaning on the hedge, avoiding the nettles, to watch and wait;
camera on standby, and bludgeon at the ready. The bludgeon was not
to be used unless absolutely necessary - he wanted the beast
alive, but he knew from previous missions that it could be
dangerous. Tonight was the fifth time he'd set a trap, he was sure
this one wouldn't fail.
Soon it came, he could hear the groaning, the
crack of twigs. He could feel the chill in the air, the creature's
presence. The canvas was straining, sharply bending the saplings it
was fixed to. But still nothing was visible on the camera screen.
For three hours he sat waiting, watching, catching nothing. What
was he dealing with, why couldn't he see it? And why couldn't it be
caught?
Wise old man Reds chuckled to himself as the
boy explained his frustrating labours. He remembered his own
childhood fears of things he couldn't explain. The 80 years between
them sat in silence as they searched each others eyes, until the
old man spoke:
"Son - you are brave and curious, you
search for understanding. You must look to the sky and to your
imagination for your answer, to the past and the future. You will
never catch the omnipresent, but you are right to try - for it
is the search that will reveal the question that can be
answered."
'Old Friends Misunderstood' is from In Particular, a Wellcome
Trust-funded artist residency at the Microsystems and
Nanotechnology Centre, Cranfield University, UK.