​ Ever been 'less than inspired' in class? Some people learn by listening, and some learn by doing. Luckily, nanoscientist Gerd Binnig discovered the thrill of conducting his own experiments and helped bring about a new era for humankind. In 1981 he invented the scanning tunneling microscope which allowed us to see atoms for the first time. One day, after years of research, Gerd was reclining on a sofa when a new inspiration struck: "as I was not capable of solving the problem consciously, my subconcious mind did." Binnig called his new design the atomic force microscope which revealed even more atomic detail and allowed us to see objects smaller than one nanometer - less than 1/50,000 the diameter of a human hair! Inspire your friends and colleagues and tag them below to share Gerd Binnig's story today. 🔬 View the full video: bit.ly/KavliCountdownep15 This video is part of our Brilliant Breakthroughs series: our new 20-episode mini-series exploring the "Eureka!" moments and p...