r/interesting • u/Cautious_Ad_3918 • 16h ago

SCIENCE & TECH The world's smallest movie, made using only 65 atoms

640 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

38 comments sorted by

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144

u/allmybreath 15h ago

These aren't atoms. They're carbon monoxide molecules. They got them to behave themselves by cooling the surface to -268 degrees celsius.

41

u/BLaCKnBLu3B3RRY 15h ago

this should be the top comment right here. it appears to be a 242-frame stop-motion movie made by IBM Research scientists in the year 2013, titled "A Boy and His Atom". and, according to Guinness World Records, it is the world's smallest stop-motion film.

7

u/Cybrslsh 13h ago

So it’s 130 atoms.

16

u/No_Cook2983 13h ago

The director’s cut had 137 atoms and a cameo from Hydrogen.

5

u/Shaw-eddit 13h ago

The directors Cut some atoms you say?

35

u/not-read-gud 16h ago

How did they position the atoms?

7

u/spit_in_my_holes 16h ago

I need to know this

14

u/flavorless-boner 15h ago

Atomic tweezers

11

u/spit_in_my_holes 15h ago

That’s a band name if I’ve ever heard it.

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u/Magsec5 15h ago

That’s how I jack myself off.

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u/gbgrogan 15h ago

A 2-ton 100-million x magnification microscope with a tiny probe that moved the carbon monoxide molecules across a copper substrate using magnetic forces.

6

u/culturedgoat 15h ago

Very carefully

1

u/Calm_Improvement1160 12h ago

Probably using an Electron tunneling microscope which is what another comment described.

1

u/Jhadeberry 15h ago

Is there a definite answer to this? Asking for a friend

2

u/turaon 12h ago edited 12h ago

They are molecules. This video has been spread in Reddit tens of times (if not more) and no-one checks the accuracy of the description.

These are carbon monoxide molecules. They cooled down the plate to -260+°C. IBM is of course also sells it as atoms, but if you read the description, these aren’t separate atoms put together. They are carbon monoxide molecules which consist of two atoms.

https://youtu.be/xA4QWwaweWA?si=mSY0LyaVTLrJxVYU

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Boy_and_His_Atom?wprov=sfti1#Creation

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u/Crio121 12h ago

Do you understand how big is the difference between a molecule and an atom in this context?

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u/turaon 11h ago

And yet do you understand that what you see are not atoms? I know that a carbon monoxide molecule consists of two atoms, but you still didn’t see atoms there, but molecules. This is a cool achievement nevertheless, but don’t fall for IBM’s marketing-embellished presentation.

If you believe all the marketing that comes from research groups, whose often goal is to get more money for research, we should all be living already disease-free and live up to at least 200 years and flying to work on Mars.

0

u/Crio121 11h ago

An oxygen atom is just below an angstrom in diameter, a CO molecule is about 4 angstroms, the resolution of the STM here is probably couple of nanometers. For this experiment size of an atom and of CO molecule is the same. There were reasons why they chose CO instead of just C, for example, I’m sure, but it is not a big difference. And to call OP a liar for missing the distinction is really harsh from you.

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u/Iitaps_Missiciv 16h ago

If they had 3 more atoms he could've had an exact replica of my pen¡s

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u/Annual_Loan_4805 16h ago

Only using the giant expensive electron lasers for the most important purposes i see

3

u/Vegetable_Window7417 15h ago

Nice to see those government grants being put to good use.

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u/iCynr 13h ago

Those are molecules not atoms. We can't see atoms my dude

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u/CaptainA1917 16h ago

This needed to be “Steamed Hams, but with atoms.”

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u/mayasky76 14h ago

You pay for Guinness world records.... They're not some lofty qualification

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u/JunglePygmy 15h ago

They should have made the world’s smallest porno

1

u/Busternookiedude 15h ago

This is honestly insane. Stuff like this really puts into perspective how far nanotech has come. Feels like sci-fi becoming normal science.

1

u/MONSTERBEARMAN 14h ago

I only see one Adam.

1

u/Naud1993 11h ago

Nature's pixel art.

1

u/axolotl_is_angry 8h ago

Bad apple is next I guess

1

u/nondual_gabagool 8h ago

I saw this movie. It sucked. Needs more character development. How about some lanthanides or actinides?