Taking up the sci-fi staple of "tractor beams," scientists have developed a way to use light to grab and move minuscule particles on a microchip

The work by Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers could extend the possibilities for "optical tweezers" — super-focused beams of light that have been used for years to study and manipulate tiny biological structures or even individual atoms.

Lang and Appleyard proved their technique by getting 16 live E. coli cells to spell out "MIT" on a [microchip surface].