World’s smallest sensor measures growth force of plants, animals and humans

How do you visualize the extremely small forces connected to processes in our body, such as embryonic growth and development? Researchers experimented with a combination of laser technology and chemical knowledge, coming up with a sensor consisting of one single molecule that is a few hundred times more accurate than existing devices used to measure nano-forces on the molecular level. The force measured in one molecule can be compared with the force of one grain of sand pressing down on a person’s shoulder.