THE world of laser technology which is revolutionising life was explained to Teesside schoolchildren yesterday.

Pupils heard one of the UK's leading younger scientists explain how all of the books in the world can be copied on a single postage stamp.

The subject of nanotechnology was brought to life by Dr Russell Cowburn, who explained how the new knowledge might one day allow scientists to build computers which are the size of a grain of sand, to make clothes that do not get dirty and provide a cure for cancer

The University of Durham's physics department scientist enthralled more than 100 Stockton secondary school pupils, aged 14 to 16, in a lecture at Stockton Riverside College.

Dr Cowburn explained what happens if you try to squash light, how atoms spontaneously arrange themselves into patterns and how to write your name with electrons.

He said: "This was a great opportunity to inspire young people and to share the excitement of being involved in such groundbreaking research.

"Scientists are now learning how to control the smallest building blocks of our world atoms. While once people disputed whether atoms exist, now we can pick them up, move them around, and build the most minute structures."

The lecture was organised by Stockton Riverside College and the University of Durham to commemorate the life of Madeline Mary Walker, a former student of both institutions who died in her 50s.

The Madeline Mary Walker Science Foundation has used money she raised in her successful career as a scientist to support education.