Friction between solid surfaces is an important phenomenon in everyday life.
Without it, even something as simple as holding a piece of paper would be
impossible. While humans have had to deal with friction since prehistoric
times, we actually understand little about the process on nanometer scales that
give rise to it. In this colloquium, I will attempt to give an overview of the
type of research that is done in the field of fundamental nantrobilogy, i.e.
the fundamental study of friction on small scales, using examples from my own
and other people's work.