In an article recently published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, Bioengineering Assistant Professor Andrew Smith and his co-authors demonstrate a new process for using quantum dots to literally shed new light on molecular biology. Quantum dots can solve some aspects of these problems. Quantum dots — tiny nanoparticles that can have special properties — have been used in research for nearly 20 years to illuminate tissue and cells. Developing a much smaller quantum dot is the major breakthrough that Smith and his team have accomplished. They succeeded in creating the smallest stable quantum dots to date.