Introduction Have you ever played with a toy pinwheel—or seen larger real-life versions, such as a windmill or wind turbine? Have you wondered why they look the way they do—with multiple blades, ...

Imagine blowing on a toy pinwheel and watching the blades spin faster, slower, or suddenly reverse. Now replace the toy with pure light, shrink it to the width of a hair, and give it two microscopic ...

Simply making nanoparticles spin coaxes them to arrange themselves into what researchers call 'living rotating crystals' that could serve as a nanopump. They may also, incidentally, shed light on the ...