Laser Tweezers, Tractor Beam's Little Brother, Fact & Fiction

If you happen to be a science fiction fan, then laser tractor beam force fields found on Star Trek are  a familiar technology. Imagine having the ability to capture and move objects with laser light. Great special effects for science fiction movies, but fiction often influences the imagination of scientists and engineers to develop fictional ideas into reality. A perfect example of converting fiction to factual tools was applied when scientists and engineers developed the laser tweezers. Now they can capture and manipulate nanometer scale particles to enhance medical diagnostics and fight diseases on a cellular level. This might be the little brother of things to come if they can eventually scale up the process to move larger objects without damaging them in the process.  To find out more about laser tweezers click on this highlighted text link.