posted on Dec, 28 2006 @ 06:20 AM
In an effort to create a near fool-proof security mechanism, scientist have developed a keypad lock equal to the size of a molecule. The new lock will
not open using traditional means, such as a pin number or key, but rather the new locks will implement a system that will only respond to sequences of
either light, chemicals, or both. The new system allows scientists to create "keys" by using either molecules that are acidic in nature, or those
that have alkaline compounds, or UV light to form a sequence or patterns to open the locks.
news.yahoo.com
Scientists have created a keypad lock a single molecule in size. This lock only activates when exposed to the correct password, a sequence of
chemicals and light.
Researchers suggest their device could in the future lead to a new level of safeguards for secret information. This lock might also serve to recognize
when certain sequences of chemicals are released in the body--for instance, after exposure to Sarin or another deadly chemical or biological
weapon.
Organic chemist Abraham Shanzer and his colleagues at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovat,
Israel, began with a molecule named FLIP. At its core is a component dubbed a "linker" that mimics a bacterial compound that binds to iron. Attached
to it are two molecules that respectively can glow either blue or green.
Please visit the link provided for the complete story.
Pretty interesting. I can't see how this will be effective in public use, due to the inability by the common household member to use a lock that is
so small for personal use, but on the business side, implementing this new mechanism to data storage devices, computer system, or even bank vaults
could prove very effective, despite the costs.