To get beyond Eggleston's Freudian couch, swine also need a 2-inch-thick layer of exterior fat along the belly and back.

WSJ: High on the Hog

Using a micron-thick layer of gallium arsenide, it can get flexible solar cells that are 29 percent efficient, nearly double commodity silicon cells.

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That done, he deposits them in a 100 nanometre-thick layer on top of a piece of glass, to which they stick without the need for glue.

ECONOMIST: Monitor

The Walkman introduced a thick layer of static to the music-listening experience.

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The magic, it turns out, is in that subatomic spray, as the group treated with an electron shower benefited from a polymerizing effect or, more plainly, a bonding of molecules just above the skin's surface that yielded a tough, protective nano-layer measuring between 50- to 100-billionths of a meter thick.

ENGADGET

The most promising sail material has a carbon-fibre backing coated with a thin layer (just a few tens of atoms thick) of aluminium.

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The rillettes in a potted-duck appetizer were packed tightly into a small glass jar and sealed with a thick layer of creamy, peppered lard for spreading on toast triangles, while a mammoth pork chop, marbled with luscious fat, tasted of buttered popcorn.

NEWYORKER: Allswell