NanoPutian Molecules

NanoPutian Molecules

 

And today's award for the 'How did they possibly get a grant to do that?' paper, goes to the J. Org. Chem. article by Chanteau and Tour from Rice University in Texas. It concerns making anthropomorphic molecules - i.e. molecules that look like humans...but why anyone would want to do this I don't know... They have been named NanoPutians, after the little men from Lilliput in the book 'Gulliver's Travels'. They come in many forms - the basic building block is the NanoKid (shown right), and from this other variants can be made, such as NanoAthlete and NanoBaker.