Tiny, Tinier, Tiniest - Maps

Today we have the last fact of our Series 'Tiny, Tinier, Tiniest'. Today, we are going to see facts about the Smallest Three-Dimensional Map in the World. There is basically no such added criteria in today's Fact.

The World's Smallest Three-Dimensional Map was created by a team of Scientists of Computer Giant IBM and is so small that 1000 such maps can fit on 1 grain of salt. This complete 3D map of the world measuring only 22 by 11 micrometers was "written" on a polymer. The map is composed of 500,000 pixels, each measuring 20 sq.nanometer, and was created in an astounding time of 2 minutes and 23 seconds. The said team of scientists accomplished this through a new, innovative technique which uses a tiny, silicon tip with a sharp apex that is 100,000 times smaller than a sharpened pencil to create patterns and structures as small as 15 nanometers at greatly reduced cost and complexity. This new innovative technique can be used for developing future nanosised objects in different fields.

Tiny, Tinier, Tiniest - Plants

For the third time this week, we are going to see facts on the Tiniest in the world of Organisms. Today we are going to see facts on the Smallest Flowering Plant in the World. Now, the Criteria for today's fact is that the Organism should be a plant still in existence and the plant should be a Flowering Plant. So, the Plant that meets our criteria is the Wolffia Plant (Photograph on the right).

So, the Smallest Flowering Plant in the World is the Wolffia Plant whch bears the World's Smallest Flowers. It is a type of Duckweed in the Lemnacae Family of Plants . Wolffia is a genus of 9-11 species that include the world's smallest flowering plants. Commonly called Watermeal, these aquatic plants resemble specks of cornmeal floating on the water, thus the name 'Watermeal'. Fully grown, they measure only 300 Micrometres by 600 micrometres and reach a mass of just 150 micrograms. It is said that a bouquet of Wolffia Flowers would fit on the head of a pin. It is a very useful plant when we see from the commercial point of view, and has a great potential in commercial food use as it is 40% protein but it is also considered as a nuisance plant in some lakes and rivers in North America.

The last of the 'Tiniest' up tomorrow....

Tiny, Tinier, Tiniest - Amphibia

Today we are going to see something more about tiny organisms as we saw about the Smallest Living Mammal in the World by Mass the other day. Today, we are going to see facts on The Smallest Living Amphibian in the World by Size. The criteria for today is that the Organism has to be an Amphibian, its Species must not be extinct, but can be on the Endangered or on the Vulnerable List. Thirdly, it has to be the Tiniest by Size, not by any other measurement. The Organism that meets our criteria is the Brazilian Gold Frog (Photograph on the right).

The Brazilian Gold Frog (Brachycephalus didactylus), also known as Izecksohn's Toad, is the smallest living amphibian in the World. It was previously known as Psyllophryne didactyla. Adult Brazilian Gold Frogs measure to only 9.8 millimeters in body length. The Brazilian Gold Frog is named after their beautiful golden colour. They are smaller than a regular dime and are also the World's Smallest Living Frog and the World's Smallest Living Tetrapod.

The Monte Iberia Eleuth is another frog and an amphibian giving tough fight to the Brazilian Gold Frog as both the species of frogs are of the same size. In this post, I have mentioned that the latter is the smallest, as most of the reliable encyclopaedias and internet source cite it as the smallest. So, I request the readers to please comment on the factual accuracy of today's post.

Tiny, Tinier, Tiniest - The Smallest Newspaper

Today we are again going to search for the 'Tiniest' in Mass Media (remember the earlier post on the Tiniest Book). Today, we will see about the Newspaper which holds the Guinness World Record for the Smallest Newspaper in the World.

The Smallest Newspaper in the World is the First News Children's Newspaper (photograph on the Right) which was published in West Horsley, Surrey UK on the November 8, 2007 in celebration of Guinness World Records Day.This smallest newspaper measures a minute 32 x 22 mm (1.25 x 0.86 in). First News is a weekly newspaper aimed at 7-14 year olds. It is in tabloid format, and aims to present current events in a child-friendly format, alongside news on entertainment, sport and computer games. The Smallest Newspaper was just a special edition aimed at setting the World Record on the Guinness World Records Day and the size of the regular weekly paper is normal.

Tiny, Tinier, Tiniest - Mammals

Today we are going to see something about tiny organisms. Today, we will see facts about the Tiniest or Smallest Living Mammal in the world by Mass. The criteria for today is that the Organism has to be a Mammal, its Species must not be extinct, but can be on the Endangered or Vulnerable List. Thirdly, it has to be the Tiniest by Mass, not by size. The Organism that meets our criteria is the Etruscan Shrew (Photograph on the right).

The Etruscan Shrew (Suncus etruscus), also known as the Etruscan Pygmy Shrew or the White-toothed Pygmy Shrew is the smallest known mammal by mass, weighing only about 2 grams, although the smallest known mammal by skull size is the Bumblebee Bat. The smallest mature specimens of this shrew are thought to weigh about 1.3 grams and measure 36 mm (1.42 inches) long. This small mammal is 60 mm from the tip of the nose to the base of the tail; the tail is about 40 mm long. This shrew has a lifespan of 15 months.

Tiny, Tinier, Tiniest - Books

Today we will peek into the world of Literature, to see facts about the Smallest Published Book in the World. This credit first and foremost goes to Nanotechnology, for which without this could not be possible.

The world’s first nanoscale book was published as a work of fine art on April 9, 2007 by at the Nano Imaging Facility of Simon Fraser University. This book, complete with an International Standard Book Number (ISBN-978-1-894897-17-4), is entitled ‘Teeny Ted From Turnip Town’. It was written by Malcolm Douglas Chaplin and is a fable concerning the success of Teeny Ted, from Turnip Town, and his victory in the Turnip contest at the annual county fair. It is at present the world’s smallest published book. The book was typeset in block letters with a resolution of 40 nanometers, and is made up of 30 micro-tablets, each carved on a polished piece of single crystalline silicon. The carving of the letter forms invokes the look of ancientcuneiform tablets, the undisputed root of publication. The entire collection of micro-tablets is contained within an area of 69 x 97microns square, with an average size of tablet being 11 x 15 microns square. Altough the Guinness Book of World Records has cited two other books as the smallest, there is no doubt that this is the Smallest Book in the World.

Tiny, Tinier, Tiniest - Songs

Today we began the new series Tiny, Tinier, Tiniest. This is an antonym to the previous series Big, Bigger, Biggest. This series will showcase 7 of the Smallest, Tiniest and Shortest objects, people or any other nouns. Before beginning, let me tell you that today is Earth Day. Today we will be discussing facts about the World's Shortest Recorded Song.

'You Suffer', a song by British Grindcore band 'Napalm Death' is in the Guinness Book of World Records as the Shortest Recorded Song Ever. It was written for their debut album 'Scum'. This song is precisely 1.316 Seconds long. This song was written by band members Nicholas Bullen and Justin Broadrick is 1986 and it featured in the album 'Scum' in 1987. The lyrics of this song are "You Suffer, But Why?". According to the writer, this song was meant to be a ridiculous comedy thing that was meant to be a hit amongst the kids. For viewing this song on youtube, please click here .

More 'Tiny' coming up tomorrow....