Huge Scientific Discoveries Start with Tiny Technology

Kokini described examples of how nanotechnology can be utilized in animal digestion for livestock and how nanosensors might be used in a corn or soybean field.

“Microfluidic devices are already being used to locate a single cancer cell in humans,” he said. “With a ‘lab on a chip’, you can take the DNA and RNA out of that cell and diagnose cancer. In agricultural research, we want to be able to isolate the RNA and DNA from a cell of a leaf. Using a grid of micro-fluidity devices in a field, famers will be able to monitor the health of the plants and make corrections during the plants’ development. The key will be to make it producible and affordable.”