一枝铅笔让两位英国科学家得到2010年诺贝尔物理学奖（图）

This year the Nobel Prize in Physics went to two scientists at the University of Manchester who discovered the properties of graphene.  And yes, this event is significant, because it reaffirms what constitutes real value in today's world.

Graphene, as few people know, is a transparent form of carbon that is only one atom thick yet stronger than steel.  It has the potential to be made into a new generation of faster transistors, better touch screens, solar panels, windmills, and other technologies.  Of course, it will take time to develop graphene applications, but the results could be very exciting.

The amazing thing about the discovery of graphene's properties is that it didn't result from computerized number crunching – which most research focuses on today – but from the intuition, creativity, and spirit of playfulness on the part of the two scientists involved.  Apparently, they were horsing around in the lab one Friday night (what else would scientists do at that time?) when they figured out a way to extract graphene from the graphite in a pencil and arrange it in a 2-dimensional array using a “Scotch tape” technique.  The result let them test the properties of this substance for the first time.

We should also note that one of the scientists, Andre Geim, has a history of wacky and creative work.  He also invented an adhesive called Gecko tape (that imitates how lizards stick to walls) and received an Ig Nobel Prize for levitating a frog in a magnetic field.  (Ig Nobel Prizes are given to findings that make people first laugh and then think.)  His work, in other words, is a testament to the value of human creativity. (From Stephen Leeb's e-mail)

海默博物馆 - UCLA的搞笑'思想者'

[JoshuaChow]

回复africangrey的评论:
I like Ig Nobel Prizes that are given to findings that make people first laugh and then think...

[africangrey]

yes, this year's Nobel Physics is super elegant, classic science at its best.