Summary: Particle science, biology, nano science and materials science are in lock step. The working machinery of these sciences is particle analysis. This article looks at how the various disciplines interrelate.
The sciences don’t exist in isolation. Nowhere is this more obvious in than in particle analysis. The huge boom across the sciences in molecular science has been driving a virtual reinvention of a science which started as a mechanical process using very basic equipment like sieves. Today’s basic particle size analyzer is a far distant cry from those days, and the drivers for new forms of particle analysis are coming from across the scientific spectrum.
A short history of sciences in flux- How the new dynamics emerged
One of the new kids in science is molecular science. This rather precocious enfant terrible was the Big Bang for massive change in the physical sciences. Every other science from chemistry to physics has had to redefine its space and its ideas on the basis of molecular science. Not surprisingly, the materials sciences also had to reinvent themselves on the basis of this torrent of new information. For “materials”, read “particles”, and you’ll get some idea of the crucial role of particle analysis in modern sciences.
Particle analysis is now a distinct field in science, as well as a distinct function.
This is a very basic list of sciences and related areas of commerce which need ultra-efficient particle analysis:
Astronomy / Biology / Nano science / Toxicology / Entomology / Genetics / Mycology / Medicine / Pharmaceuticals / Manufacturing / Food science / Polymer science / Electronics / Space research / Geology / Mining / Physics
Pretty much everything, in fact. About the only sciences that don’t need particle analysis are history, economics and geography.
It’s an interesting study in interdisciplinary realities that the “insular” sciences of the past are now effectively co-dependent and highly inter-reactive. This is a multi-speed, multi directional process.
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