New York Times article on Aerogel, the least dense solid known to man. NASA uses it for collection and insulation. Via Slashdot. Go here for a gallery of Aerogel pictures.
Think about how computers and the Internet have changed the world, and imagine those same changes altering every man-made object you come in contact with. Computer technology has been amazing for manipulating bits, but the real change is going to be manipulating atoms. Materials science and nanotechnology are going to be huge.
Posted by lesjones