Joining forces to reveal the mass and shape of single molecules

Scientists have developed a revolutionary new technology that can image and weigh single molecules, to instantly identify a single virus particle or protein. A microscopic tool, more than 1000 times thinner than the width of a single human hair, uses vibrations to simultaneously reveal the mass and the shape of a single molecule - a feat which has not been possible until now. The work was led by Professor John Sader at the University of Melbourne's School of Mathematics and Statistics and Professor Michael Roukes of the California Institute of Technology. It features in a paper published in this month's . Prof Sader says this technique revolutionises molecule detection for biologists, or indeed anyone who wants to measure extremely small objects. To discover what a specimen looks like, researchers attach it to a tiny vibrating device, known as a nanoelectromechanical system (NEMS) resonator. "One standard way to tell the difference between molecules is to weigh them using a technique called mass spectrometry.