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A 1959 lecture by Richard Feynman has become an important document in the history of nanotechnology but, as Chris Toumey reports, there are disagreements about when it became important, and why.
Nanotechnology could have an impact on many areas of the food industry, including packaging, nutrient delivery and food quality, but it is too early to tell if it will be embraced by food companies and the general public.
Irrespective of what he got right and what he got wrong in his famous 1959 lecture, Richard Feynman's vision and imagination have had an important role in the development of nanoscience and nanotechnology, as Richard Jones reports.
In 1959 Richard Feynman called for researchers to improve the resolution of the electron microscope, and they have — but resolution is only part of the story.