Topic: Finger prints+superglue=nanofibres

[piersdad]

Fingerprints + Super Glue = Nanofibers

Chemical engineers at Penn State have accidentally discovered a new and versatile way to make nanofibers. During an experiment, one of the researchers "left his fingerprints on a piece of research equipment that had been secured with Super Glue and nanofibers appeared." And the team was able to reproduce this process with a variety of fake fingerprints made from salt of other substances found on fingers. And they were able to build not only nanofibers, but also nano-sized flat sheets or spheres. This new method will first be used in medical applications such as drug delivery. Read more...

http://www.primidi.com/2006/01/31.html

And here is how this discovery was done.
One of the researchers, Pratik Mankidy, had accidentally left his fingerprints on a piece of research equipment that had been secured with Super Glue and nanofibers appeared. Putting two and two together, the researchers set out to discover what constituents of fingerprints trigger the cyanoacrylate polymerisation on the ridges of fingerprints.
They made synthetic fingerprints from a mixture of a known polymer initiator, common table salt in water, and a non-initiator, linoleic acid, found on fingers. Then they exposed the fake prints to cyanoacrylate fuming. Sure enough, they got nanofibers similar to the ones Mankidy's fingerprints had generated accidentally.

Its amazing how an every day thing can turn into a scientific break through

One scientist spilt some coffee on a bench and realised that the way the coffee crept to   the side of the stain was also a way to make   nano sized  wires for integrated circuits.

If you look at the sun through a canopy of tree leaves the flashes of variable light are similar to the way the astronomers use gravity lenses to detect planets.

Who knows when the next annoying happening triggers off a chain of thought that develops a great scientific break through?

In 1860’s approx the effect of laser light was observed in an experiment but the brightest artificial light then was a candle.

My own experiments in 1950’s was to try and get a very  narrow  beam of light using telescope lenses and use it for  surveying as my dad was a surveyor.
I recognised the great value of a perfectly parallel light beam for determining the exact angle of an observed point..

Years later I realised the principle of the laser was described in a 1939 text book I had
So laser was known but needed the production of artificial ruby to test the theory