QUANTUM WEIRDNESS

Two Russian physicists, specialist in the science of Quantum physics, have won the Nobel Prize for investigating the properties of graphene. Oh, you did not study Quantum physics in school? It is the study of the behavior of matter and energy at the tiny level of atoms. Scientific laws do not function the same in these small realms. For instance, observing something actually influences the physical processes taking place. Just “looking” at something can make it do something weird. Matter can go from one spot to another without moving through the intervening space. Information moves instantly across vast distances. The entire universe is actually a series of probabilities. Yikes, now that is weird!

You ask, “What the hell is graphene?” Graphene is a form of carbon that is the thinnest, strongest, and hardest material in the world. Imagine some saran wrap stretched across a cup, supporting the weight of a truck bearing down on a pencil point. It is that strong! It also can transmit electricity faster and better than copper. Imagine the potential applications of this stuff. It is mind-boggling.

OK, so you are wondering how these preeminent scientists discovered this stuff, right? Surprisingly, it did not occur during their regular workweek. On Friday evenings they like to have a few shots of vodka and play around with fun, improbable research. For example, they once managed to levitate a frog in a magnetic field. It was during one of their fun Friday nights that they discovered the ability to peel very thin layers off of pencil graphite with Scotch tape. Voila, with these thin sheets of graphite, they were able to create Graphene. This is a great example of how You do not need huge resources or a Harvard University to do something amazing.