An
invention in the works.
Monowire is, in
theory, a
mono-molecular strand that is incredibly strong. It is, in practice a little wider, but
effectively only a few molocules wide.
So what, you may ask? Just think for a second: How sharp is the
average knife -- in
measurement of molecules? Probably somewhere near a few thousand (if anyone can get actual figures on this, I'm more than open to
being corrected, it's just a guess). That means an
invisible strand of wire that can cut through most any
known substance. There are some pretty shady
applications of such a
technology, but many very useful ones too. Smoother cuts than lasers or water jets, and it will never need sharpened.
The only problem is, it's still pretty much
science fiction. A
popular item in many
cyberpunk games and movies, current science hasn't made anything quite so useful, or
deadly. Currently, scientists have only made monowire shorter than a millimeter (much shorter), so there's no
practical applications to it, but after they get it to lengths of centimeters, it will be useful for cutting ANY
small objects, including
diamonds.