Two guys win the Nobel physics prize with scotch tape and pencil lead.

[Gregness]

Because we need less depressing news 'round these parts, here's some highlights:

STOCKHOLM – Two Russian-born scientists shared the Nobel Prize in physics on Tuesday for groundbreaking experiments with the strongest and thinnest material known to mankind — a potential building block for faster computers and lighter airplanes and satellites.

University of Manchester professors Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov used Scotch tape to isolate graphene, a form of carbon only one atom thick but more than 100 times stronger than steel, and showed it has exceptional properties, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said.

Experiments with graphene could lead to the development of new superstrong and lightweight materials with which to make satellites, aircraft and cars, the academy said in announcing the 10 million kronor ($1.5 million) award.

*snip*

The two scientists used simple Scotch tape as a crucial tool in their experiments, peeling off thin flakes of graphene from a piece of graphite, the stuff of pencil leads.

"It's a humble technique. But the hard work came later," Geim told the AP.

Paolo Radaelli, a physics professor at the University of Oxford, marveled at the simple methods the winners used.

"In this age of complexity, with machines like the super collider, they managed to get the Nobel using Scotch tape," Radaelli said.

*snip*

Laurence Eaves, a physics professor at the University of Nottingham in Britain, said the duo showed how science should be done.

"These were just a couple of guys driven by their curiosity, doing what they thought was interesting, and invented this amazing material," he said.

Also worth mentioning is that these guys are just generally awesome

Geim last year won the prestigious Korber European Science Award for the discovery, the University of Manchester said. He also won the "Ig nobel" prize in 2000 for making a frog levitate in a magnetic field. That award is handed out by the Annals of Improbable Research magazine for silly sounding scientific discoveries that often have surprisingly practical applications.

So, I can only imagine the kinds of cool stuff we'll see in twenty or thirty years if this graphene stuff proves itself to be viable on a large scale. I mean, this is pretty much the super construction material we've been waiting for to make all those wacky anime spaceships and modern body armor and honest-to-god space elevators practical right?

[Viridis]

The best parts:

In 2001 Geim co-authored a research paper with his favourite hamster.

Graphene can be visualized as an atomic-scale chicken wire made of carbon atoms and their bonds.

[Nique]

Neat. Too bad all this super-material being developed is probably not going to be available for consumer level products until I am too old to give a damn.

[Marc v4.0]

Originally Posted by Nique

Neat. Too bad all this super-material being developed is probably not going to be available for consumer level products until I am too old to give a damn.

But you will be not giving a damn in your matte black indestructible hover-chair

[Nique]

But you will be not giving a damn in your matte black frictionless indestructible hover-chair

FTFY

[RobinStarwing]

Cyborg Parts! My dream of becoming a Machine will be realized!

[Sithdarth]

This stuff was old news six years ago while I was still a freshman undergrad.

We've already have operational transistors of the stuff.

Really fast ones.

Now in terms of size graphene is strong but remember it is atomically thin. This means that even though it has great strength per unit of stuff there isn't a lot of stuff there. Sitting on graphene really wouldn't work. It isn't going to stop bullets. Of course above and beyond that making a macroscopic sized sheet of this that isn't bonded a surface just isn't going to happen at least not right now. Transistors and electronic devices are pretty much the only places graphene is really good.

[Hatake Kakashi]

That's neat and all, but when will I get to make my damned sub-orbital mass drivers with it? I've been wanting to put every nuclear power in their place with those. By throwing big fucking rocks at their governmental seats of power.

All jokes aside, I am a little curious as to what graphene could mean for increasing the speeds of computers....

EDIT: Ninja'd! Nice find, Sith!

[Sithdarth]

Let's try this again:

Graphene memory devices

Solar Cells

New Transistor

Mechanical Properties

Graphene Oxide for NEMS

NEMS

Just as an aside if someone is getting a Noble prize for something it is pretty much a guarantee that the something is almost a decade old and has already revolutionized something. Otherwise it wouldn't be worth a Noble Prize.

[Gregness]

Now that you mention it, the article I linked in the OP even made mention of the fact that the Nobel committee very specifically ignores the stipulation that the prize is to be given out based on the prior year's work because it's too hard to judge the importance of a discovery too soon after the fact.

But, why is it that we won't be seeing macro scale usage of this stuff? If it's as strong and light as they say it seems like a no-brainer. I mean, seeing as they pulled it outta pencil lead it's not like graphene is chemically or molecularly unstable right?