The world's smallest 'snowman' has been created by UK scientists with the help of platinum, the Times reported on Friday (4th December).

David Cox and colleagues at the National Physical Laboratory in west London built the tiny unit, which measures just a fifth of the width of a typical human hair.

The snowman was sculpted from two tin beads normally used to calibrate electron microscope lenses and was put together with the aid of a nanotechnology manipulation system.

After welding the statue with miniscule platinum deposits, Mr Cox then used a tiny amount of the precious metal for the nose, while a focused ion beam was used to create the eyes and mouth.

The National Physical Laboratory is the largest applied physics organisation in the UK and it opened a new, state-of-the-art facility in Teddington in 2007.

Source:

The world’s smallest snowman, walking in the hair (04/12/09)

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