Having taken (and nearly failed) more chemistry courses than I would like to remember, I’m usually not particularly enthusiastic about molecular engineering. However, a recent news story caught my eye this morning. Apparently, Masayuki Nakao, a professor at Todai, has just debuted the smallest bowl of ramen known to man.

The bowl and noodles were constructed out of carbon nanotubes–tiny cylinders made of latticed carbon molecules–in Nakao’s lab in 2006, but were only unveiled today after being entered in a microphotography contest. Measuring a measly 1,016 nanometers (or 1/25,000 of an inch), the bowl is theoretically small enough for even some bacteria to use–the average E. coli being around 2,000 nanometers long–assuming they like the taste of graphite, that is. Maybe the addition of some carbon chāshū or menma would make it more enticing?

Anyway, here’s what the inventor had to say about his creation:

“We believe it’s the world’s smallest ramen bowl, with the smallest portion of noodles inside, though they are not edible,” Nakao said.

The hardest part was to keep the noodles from rising upright from the bowl “like alfalfa sprouts,” he said. “The achievement was mostly for fun.”

So, though Nakao probably won’t be winning a Nobel Prize for this feat, you have to admit, it’s pretty cool. In my mind, it’s right up there with the world’s smallest guitar, toilet, and smiley face. And, hey, if the price of wheat continues to rise, tiny bowls of ramen may become a lot more prevalent, hm?

More nanocoolness: Nanotechnology Now and the EIPBN Micrograph Contest
Source: The Honolulu Advertiser