Why would somebody build a scale model of the Starship Enterprise that's so teeny tiny you can only see it with an electron microscope? Because they can, that's why. We have a feeling scientists Takayuki Hoshino and Shinji Matsui of the Himeji Institute of Technology just earned the title of Billy Badass in the science/nerdy-geek community.
It takes some chops to build such a tiny Star Trek space craft, even though it does look a bit deflated from this angle. The two scientists used a focused ion beam to cut out this minuscule model, using a process called Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) that uses phenanthrene gas to etch the little ship to a length of 8.8 micrometers.
Now, guys, show us the final flourish — we want to see "NCC 1701" embossed onto the top of that saucer.
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