Scientists have braided a rope

Scientists have braided a rope Scientists have braided a rope that is less than a millionth of a meter in diameter, a major step toward self-assembling materials important for nanoscale construction and medicine.

Polymers, or long chains of molecules, were coaxed into braiding themselves into wispy nanoscale ropes that approach the structural complexity of biological materials.

The work is the latest development in the push to develop self-assembling nanoscale materials that mimic the intricacy and functionality of nature's handiwork, but which are rugged enough to oopo withstand harsh conditions such as heat and dryness.