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Tiny points of light in a quantum dot

ID Number
2332

Description
This fingertip-shaped group of lights is a microscopic crystal called a quantum dot. About 10,000 times thinner than a sheet of paper, the dot radiates brilliant colors under ultraviolet light. Dots such as this one allow researchers to label and track individual molecules in living cells and may soon be used for speedy disease diagnosis, DNA testing, and screening for illegal drugs.

Featured in the April 18, 2006, issue of Biomedical Beat.

Type
Photograph

Source
Sandra Rosenthal and James McBride, Vanderbilt University, and Stephen Pennycook, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Credit Line
See Source

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