Quantum leap takes breathrough of year award

The world's first "quantum machine" - a device that moves according to laws that govern the subatomic world - has been named as one of the scientific breakthoughs of the year.

Created by US scientists at the University of California, Santa Barbara, the machine consists of a tiny metal paddle invisible to the naked eye that dances to a quantum rhythm.

After first cooling the paddle to the lowest possible energy state, the researchers coaxed it into a purely quantum mechanical state of motion.

This meant it behaved in ways not seen in the "macro" world of classical mechanics. For instance, the device could be in two states at once - known as "superpositions" - so that it vibrated both a little and a lot at the same time.

The achievement, by a team led by physicists Andrew Cleland and John Martinis, was singled out as the most impressive advance of 2010 by Science magazine's judges searching for the "Breakthrough of the Year".

Adrian Cho of Science said: "This … represents the first time scientists have demonstrated quantum effects in the motion of a human, man-made object.

"On a conceptual level that's cool because it extends quantum mechanics into a whole new realm. On a practical level, it opens up a variety of possibilities ranging from new experiments that meld quantum control over light, electrical currents and motion to, perhaps some day, tests of the bounds of quantum mechanics and our sense of reality."

Runners up in Science's top ten include the creation of a "synthetic genome", mapping the genetic code of Neanderthals, and the discovery of "clear evidence" of past water on Mars.