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Developments in nanotechnology in the 1990s made building electronic devices from single molecules a possibility. Cees Dekker recounts how his team created a room-temperature transistor based on a single carbon nanotube.
Expensive equipment is often considered a prerequisite for good science. But the development of technology that is affordable and accessible to many could help promote a greater diversity of scientific thinking.
This year’s International Physics Olympiad — ably assisted by over 1,000 paper transistors — could help inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers and technicians.
The discovery of the twisted nematic effect allowed liquid crystal displays to become a practical and ubiquitous technology. Martin Schadt recounts how it came about.