Science, Science and Society, Technology

A boy and his atom feature in world’s smallest movie

   aimee

And now for something a little different!

A Boy and His Atom Movie Poster. Credit: IBM

IBM, who make Very Clever Machines, have just released “A Boy and His Atom”, the world’s smallest movie. How small? Well, atomic scale.

IBM using a tunneling electron microscope (which won IBM a Nobel Prize in 1986) to push carbon atoms around in 242 frames and tell the story of a boy, and the fun he has with his pet atom one day. Featuring dancing, trampolines, and clouds.

Apparently, the film was made not only to showcase IBM’s cleverness (and we are indeed impressed, you guys), but also as a science communication effort aimed at getting people involved in discussions about frontier-level science and the atomic-scale world.

You can read more about the project here, should you so wish. And there’s a wonderful set of photographs about the project. Either way, enjoy the movie!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSCX78-8-q0[/youtube]

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And yes, I’m finding the conversation around the National Science Challenges fascinating, and I’m glad it’s a robust one! Of course, the most important thing is what happens next…