Golden moment in nanotechnology

Though people in ancient times knew very little about gold's immortal nature from the perspective of science, they were curious about its effect on human life. Thus, gold took on a therapeutic role in China, and was widely used by physicians and surgeons. Pure gold was used to treat furuncles, smallpox and skin ulcers, and to remove mercury from skin and flesh; some ancient references noted that gold drugs could cure joint disease and disease in lungs. There were also prescriptions containing gold for curing measles and other diseases. Plant and animal medicines were used in ancient prescriptions, and many of these contain gold as a trace element.

Contemporary analysis reveals that the horns of the rhinoceros, antelope, deer and other species contain traces of gold. It's believed the substance concentrates in protein (such as in the horns and hair), possibly as gold-protein complexes. Many medicinal herbs contain a trace of gold and their extracts might contain a trace of a gold complex that could cure sickness.

That efficacious effect is still very much at work today in nanotechnology. Gold has an ability to reflect infrared radiation, which is one reason that physicians, scientists and researchers use the element to track down cancer cells and other microscopic items. In essence, gold nanoparticles are suitable for "staining" or making contrasts in cells appear more visible, such as in tissue samples. And because gold is generally unaffected by most acids, bases and oxygen, scientists can be sure that golden nanoparticles won't react with other agents and corrupt their readings.

Gold has the highest corrosion resistance of all metals, and is corroded only by a mixture of nitric and hydrochloric acid. Because it doesn't oxidise, it has always been known as a "noble metal". It's the most efficient metal for the transmission of heat and electricity, and it's also the most malleable of all metals. One ounce of gold can be drawn out into more than 80 kilometres of thin gold wire, or beaten into a sheet covering nine square metres. We're dreaming of fields of gold…