Fantastic feats performed with lasers have earned three scientists the 2018 Nobel Prize in physics.
Half of the award, which totals 9 million Swedish kronor (about $1 million), went to physicist Arthur Ashkin for his development of optical tweezers. The technique uses laser light to manipulate tiny particles such as viruses and bacteria.
The other half of the prize went to two scientists who created intense, short bursts of laser light. Physicists Gérard Mourou and Donna Strickland found a way to produce these powerful laser pulses using a method called chirped pulse amplification, which has been harnessed for purposes such as laser eye surgery.