A team of British scientists has built what they call the world’s smallest violin. The tiny instrument is so small, it can’t be seen without a microscope. Made from platinum, the violin is only 35 microns long and 13 microns wide, far smaller than a single human hair.
To understand how small that is, remember that a human hair is usually between 17 and 180 microns wide. Even a tardigrade, a tiny water creature often called a “water bear,” is bigger than this violin!
The researchers used special nanotechnology, called a nano lithography system, to build the violin. This technology helps scientists create and study objects that are only a few millionths of a meter in size.
Although the project may sound like a joke, the scientists say it helped them learn more about their tools and prepare for other important research. Professor Kelly Morrison, who led the team, said their tiny violin is just the beginning of bigger scientific discoveries.
