British Scientists Develop Smallest Christmas Card

The world’s smallest Christmas card has been developed in the UK. (NPL)
The world’s smallest Christmas card has been developed in the UK. (NPL)
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British Scientists Develop Smallest Christmas Card

The world’s smallest Christmas card has been developed in the UK. (NPL)
The world’s smallest Christmas card has been developed in the UK. (NPL)

The world’s smallest Christmas card has been developed in the UK. A seasonal greeting so tiny that over 200 million of them could fit into a standard postage stamp, Reuters reported.

The card, created by two British scientists at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), the UK’s national measurement standards laboratory, measures 15 x 20 micrometers. A micrometer is one millionth of a meter.

It is made from platinum-coated silicon nitride, and was illustrated using a focused ion beam. The card’s cover features an etching of a snowman, above the words “Seasons Greetings,” as well as a seasonal message inside.

NPL’s Dr. David Cox, who created the card along with his colleague Dr. Kin Mingard, said the technology used in its making had more practical uses.

“We are using the tools that created the card to accurately measure the thickness of extremely small features in materials, helping to unlock new battery and semiconductor technologies,” he added.

The NPL said that the previous smallest Christmas card measured 200 x 209 micrometers, making their effort over 100 times smaller.



Heavy Rains Flood Congo’s Capital


People walk through the flooded streets of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo Sunday, April 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Samy Ntumba Shambuyi)
People walk through the flooded streets of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo Sunday, April 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Samy Ntumba Shambuyi)
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Heavy Rains Flood Congo’s Capital


People walk through the flooded streets of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo Sunday, April 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Samy Ntumba Shambuyi)
People walk through the flooded streets of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo Sunday, April 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Samy Ntumba Shambuyi)

Major flooding hit several neighborhoods in Congo's capital Kinshasa, killing at least 19 people and causing severe damage, authorities said Saturday.

Heavy rains Friday through Saturday triggered floods and landslides in Kinshasa's western neighborhood of Ngaliema, killing at least 17 people, the local mayor, Fulgence Bolokome, told the radio station Top Congo. Two avenues in the city were also cut off, he added.

Two other people died when the deluge toppled a wall in the southern neighborhood of Lemba, Mayor Jean-Serge Poba said. A police camp and a bridge were damaged, The AP news reported.

“It was around 3 a.m. when we heard a loud noise. When we went outside, the neighbors’ wall had collapsed. The man and his wife both died, leaving behind five children who made it out unharmed,” resident Clovis Kalenga told The Associated Press.

In April, floods in Kinshasa killed at least 22 people and cut off access to over half the city and the country’s main airport.