Speed Reading — Spaghetti - Level 5 — 400 wpm

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Researchers from a U.K. university have created the world's thinnest spaghetti. It is about 200 times thinner than a human hair. It's so thin it cannot be captured in a photo, nor be seen with the naked eye, nor be viewed through a microscope. The nano-spaghetti is just 372 nanometres wide. The spaghetti was made using a technique called electro-spinning. This method uses an electric charge to push a flour liquid through microscopic holes. A researcher said: "I don't think it's useful as pasta, sadly, as it would overcook in less than a second."

The new spaghetti will be largely used for medicinal rather than culinary purposes. A researcher said it was edible. He said it was probably "chewier than you'd expect". Individual strands of the nano-pasta can be made into a pasta net. This could be used as a scaffold for regrowing tissue. It could also be used for bandages to help wounds heal. The bandages would allow moisture through, but keep bacteria out. They could also help bone regrowth. The scientists say there are also non-medicinal applications. These include uses in filtration systems and batteries.

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