A Tiny Tribute: UK Queen Birthday Message Etched on Corgi Hair


Welsh Corgi CardiganIt’s easy to change one’s look with a different hairstyle; in fact, in a woman’s lifetime, she can expect to have up to 104 different hairstyles.

Yet when corgis are involved, a new approach to hair can actually serve as a sweet gesture to the Queen of England.

In celebration of Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth’s 90th birthday, a team of university scientists created a tiny, special birthday tribute for the Queen.

“Happy 90th Birthday Your Majesty” was inscribed on a corgi hair by the staff at the University of Nottingham’s new nano-scale research center.

The hairs used in the experiment are roughly a tenth of a millimeter wide. They were donated by CJ and Cracker, two corgis living in Nottinghamshire who are from the same blood line as the Queen’s corgis.

The work was carried out on a Focused Ion Beam Scanning Electron Microscope manned by Dr. Chris Parameter. Using this microscope removes the top layer of the hair’s surface, allowing the message to be etched.

Parameter tells BBC News, “It’s a truly magical process to observe that message just all of a sudden pop out, and we’re hoping to send it to the Queen herself.”

However, there is a serious side to this science. When fully operational, this NMRC Microscope will aid in the development of key scientific advancements. Researchers are able to look deeper into the world through nanoscale and microscale analysis.

This will help them address some of the major challenges facing society, including better medicines that can cure cancer, better computer technology, and more materials for energy production.

In response to this gesture, on the night of her birthday, the official British Monarchy Twitter feed said, “One of the most unique tributes to The Queen today!”


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