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The article reports on the method developed by a group of researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to attach molecular handles to the sides of the nanotubes. Although others have accomplished similar results, the MIT team claims that its handles are the first to afford control over nanotubes without reducing their near-perfect conductivity. According to the researchers, carbenes and nitrenes do not only provide a grip on the nanotubes, but also prevent them from sticking to each other. They also reported that some of their handles can transform from a bond-intact to a bond-broken state, which may provide the ability to switch the nanotubes conductivity.