Heinrich Rohrer is often called the father of nanotechnology. Rohrer with the help of his research partner Gerd Binnig of the IBM Research Laboratory in Zurich, Switzerland, in 1979, patented the Scanning Tunneling Microscope which for the first time in history allowed scientists to see individual atoms. The pair shared the 1986 Nobel prize in physics which they also shared with physicist Ernst Ruska, who designed the first electron microscope in the 1930s.
Not only did the microscope allow scientists to see atoms, it also allowed the construction and manipulation of extremely small objects — because their device could be used to move atoms around on a surface.
Heinrich Rohrer - the father of nanotechnology, died of natural causes - May 16 at his home in Wollerau, Switzerland, at the age of 79.
Read more at the LA Times article HERE
Thanks to listener Dan for the heads up
