Singapore, Jan. 25 -- Underneath a microscope in the corner of a laboratory in Upper Changi sits a model of the Eiffel Tower no wider than a strand of human hair, and about 10 million times shorter than the actual monument in Paris.
The vibrantly coloured mini-monument is the result of two years of research led by Associate Professor Joel Yang from the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD).
What is significant about the model is not just its size - it is the smallest 3D model of the Eiffel Tower in the world - but also the way in which its brilliant colours are produced.
Prof Yang told The Straits Times: "Most of the colours we see around us come from pigments and dyes. These colours come from the absorption of certain ...