Scientists Create ‘Nano-Ear‘ to Listen to the World’s Smallest Sounds

[The Blaze]

The Blaze Wrote:If microorganisms were having a conversation, we certainly couldn't hear it, until perhaps now. German physicists developed the world's first "nano-ear", which they claim can be used to listen to microorganisms as well as tiny machines.

According to the Institute of Physics website, Physics World, the ear was created by "optically trapping" a gold nanoparticle. What this means is a highly focused laser holds the particle, like a tweezer, in its beam. This technique, Physics World reports, has long been useful for observing small specimens because it doesn't damage them, but it has now exhibited properties that show it is sensitive to sound as well.

According to Physics World, Jochen Feldmann and Andrey Lutich at the Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich, along with a team of researchers, have seen that the particle can be moved in the beam by vibrations from sound waves -- even the smallest ones. By measuring the movement of the particle, researchers can "listen" to the vibrations being made.

Read more at The Blaze