Team 'tractor beam' for manipulation of cells on silicon

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MIT researchers trapped fifteen E. coli cells in place on a silicon chip to form the letters MIT using a tractor beam of light. Image courtesy  Lang and Appleyard MIT
MIT researchers trapped fifteen E. coli cells in place on a silicon chip to form the letters 'MIT' using a 'tractor beam' of light. Image courtesy / Lang and Appleyard, MIT

In a feat that seems like something out of a microscopic version of Star Trek, MIT researchers have found a way to use a “tractor beam” of light to pick up, hold, and move around individual cells and other objects on the surface of a microchip.


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All News summaries for October 30, 2007

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Population policy needed for the UK in order to combat climate change

4 hours ago | User rating: not rated yet
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Zoo will reopen exhibit where 16 stingrays died

5 hours ago | User rating: not rated yet
(AP) -- A zoo in suburban Chicago plans to reopen an exhibit where 16 stingrays died last week when a malfunction let the tank's water get too warm.