[extropy-chat] The Nanogirl News~

[Gina Miller]

The Nanogirl News
   May 29, 2004


The second volume in the Nanomedicine book series by Robert A. Freitas Jr., Nanomedicine, Vol. IIA: Biocompatibility, is now freely available online in its entirety at http://www.nanomedicine.com/NMIIA.htm  First published in hardcover by Landes Bioscience in 2003, this comprehensive technical book describes the many possible mechanical, physiological, immunological, cytological, and biochemical responses of the human body to the in vivo introduction of medical nanodevices, especially medical nanorobots.

Hollow Nanocrystals and How to Mass Produce Them. Recently Yadong Yin and his colleagues in Paul Alivisatos's laboratory were experimenting with ways to modify the surfaces of nanocrystals - particles only a few billionths of a meter in size, comprised of only a few thousand atoms. After exposing cobalt nanocrystals to sulfur, they examined the results under a transmission electron microscope. (Berkeley Lab Science Beat 5/04)
http://www.lbl.gov/Science-Articles/Archive/sb/May-2004/02-MSD-hollow-nanocrystals.html

Chemists make molecular interlocked rings. UCLA chemists have devised an elegant solution to an intricate problem at the nanoscale that stumped scientists for many years: They have made a mechanically interlocked compound whose molecules have the topology of the beloved interlocked Borromean rings. In the May 28 issue of the journal Science, the team reports nanoscience that could be described as art. The UCLA group is the first to achieve this goal in total chemical synthesis, which research groups worldwide have been pursuing. (EurekAlert 5/27/04)
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-05/uoc--cmm052604.php

Nanomagnets tapped to generate microwave fields. A new form of electromagnetic interaction in which electron spin changes the magnetic direction of cobalt nanomagnets is being explored at Cornell University with an eye toward new types of memory and signal-processing devices. Experiments have shown that the impact of spin-polarized electrons causes the nanomagnets to process at high speed so that a direct current can produce microwave-frequency oscillations. (EETimes 5/26/04)
http://www.eetimes.com/at/n/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleId=21100413

Nanoparticles Illuminate Brain Tumors for Days under MRI. A research team from Oregon Health & Science University and the Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center is demonstrating some of the world's first clinical applications for nanometer-size particles in the brain. The OHSU scientists have shown that an iron oxide nanoparticle as small as a virus can outline not only brain tumors under magnetic resonance imaging, but also other lesions in the brain that may otherwise have gone unnoticed, according to a study published in the journal Neuropathology and Applied Neurobiology. 
(Oregon Health & Science University 5/26/04) http://www.ohsu.edu/news/2004/052504nano.html

Probing Molecular Surfaces (388 KB PDF). The study of biomolecular structure has improved through the use of MALDI-ion mobility-orthogonal time-of-flight mass spectrometry. A. S. Woods et al. (Today's Chemist at Work 5/04). http://pubs.acs.org/subscribe/journals/tcaw/13/i05/pdf/504woods.pdf

Nanoscale contact optimizes adhesion. Optimal adhesion of geckos and insects based on shape optimization and contact surface size reduction, report Max Planck researchers in Stuttgart, Germany
The nanometer size of hairs (spatulae) on the feet of geckos and many insects may have evolved to optimize adhesion strength, according to new research conducted at the Max Planck Institute for Metals Research in Stuttgart. The scientists discovered that there exists an optimal shape of the contact surface of the tip of such hairs which gives rise to optimal adhesion to a substrate via molecular interaction forces. (Max Planck 5/25/04)
http://www.mpg.de/english/illustrationsDocumentation/documentation/pressReleases/2004/pressRelease20040525/index.html
PDF: http://www.mpg.de/english/illustrationsDocumentation/documentation/pressReleases/2004/pressRelease20040525/genPDF.pdf

Ground Broken for Nanotechnology Center at Sandia and Los Alamos Labs. The new Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) at the Department of Energy's Los Alamos (LANL) and Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) moved closer to reality with two groundbreaking ceremonies this week.  The $76 million center is one of five new Nanoscale Science Research Centers to be built by the Department of Energy's Office of Science to provide researchers with world-class facilities for the interdisciplinary study of matter at the atomic scale. (energy.gov 5/25/04)
http://energy.gov/engine/content.do?PUBLIC_ID=15947&BT_CODE=PR_PRESSRELEASES&TT_CODE=PRESSRELEASE

Scaling Friction Down To The Nano/Micro Realm. An improved method for correcting nano- and micro-scale friction measurements has been developed by researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The new technique should help designers produce more durable micro- and nano-devices with moving parts, such as tiny motors, positioning devices or encoders.
(ScienceDaily 5/26/04) http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/05/040525060201.htm

DNA Robot Takes Its First Steps. A MICROSCOPIC biped with legs just 10 nanometres long and fashioned from fragments of DNA has taken its first steps. The nanowalker is being hailed as a major breakthrough by nanotechnologists. The biped's inventors, chemists Nadrian Seeman and William Sherman of New York University, say that while many scientists have been trying to build nanoscale devices capable of bipedal motion, theirs is the first to succeed. "It's an advance on everything that has gone before," says Bernard Yurke of Bell Labs in New Jersey, part of the team that made one of the best-known molecular machines to date: a pair of "tweezers" also constructed from DNA strands (New Scientist, 12 August 2000, p 23). (bio.com 5/6/04)mhttp://www.bio.com/realm/research.jhtml?realmId=5&cid=700001

Twisty Tweezers. Using only a laser beam, researchers can spin a microscopic bead, but they can't measure or control the twisting force. Now reports in the September 2003 Physical Review A and the 14 May PRL demonstrate that the twisting force, or torque, can be measured by analyzing the light passing through the object. The PRL paper also shows how to control the torque by creating what the authors call an "optical torque wrench." The technique could be useful for exploring cellular machinery such as molecular motors or the proteins that replicate DNA. 
(Phys. Rev. 5/18/04) http://focus.aps.org/story/v13/st22

Carbon-50 makes its debut. Physical chemists in China have made carbon-50 molecules in the solid state for the first time. Lan-Sun Zheng and colleagues at Xiamen University, and co-workers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing and Wuhan, prepared the molecules - which they describe as a long sought little sister of carbon-60 - in an arc-discharge technique involving chlorine. The result will allow scientists to study the properties of carbon-50 with a view to exploiting its unusual properties. The method developed by the Chinese team also opens the way to making other small, cage-like carbon molecules or "fullerenes" (S-Y Xie et al. 2004 Science 304 699).
(PhysicsWeb 4/29/04) http://physicsweb.org/article/news/8/4/14

A Nano Conveyor. Electrified nanotube is used to move molten metal along the tube's length. When an electrical current is applied to a multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWNT), the structure is transformed into a tiny conveyer belt that shuttles molten metal along the length of the tube, according to researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory [Nature, 428, 924 (2004)]. Physics professor Alex Zettl, postdoc Chris Regan, and their coworkers liken the electrified tube to a nanosoldering iron that might someday be used to fabricate nanoscale devices. (Chemical & Engineering News 5/3/04) http://pubs.acs.org/cen/news/8218/8218notw7.html

UCLA Chemists Develop New Coating For Nanoscale Probes. A UCLA-led team of chemists has developed a unique new coating for inorganic particles at the nanoscale that may be able to disguise the particles as proteins -- a process that allows particles to function as probes that can penetrate the cell and light up individual proteins inside, and create the potential for application in a wide range of drug development, diagnostic tools and medications. (bio.com 4/29/04) http://www.bio.com/realm/research.jhtml?realmId=5&cid=400034

Ion beams put nanotubes on the straight and narrow. Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, US, NTT Basic Research Laboratories, Japan, and Yokohama National University, Japan, have bombarded single-walled carbon nanotubes with ion beams in order to straighten them. They applied the technique to nanotubes grown between catalyst-coated pillars, as these often sag. 
(nanotechweb.org 5/18/04) http://nanotechweb.org/articles/news/3/5/10/1

Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco Proclaims June 4, 2004 Nanotechnology Day. In support of Louisiana´s groundbreaking research being conducted in the field of nanotechnology, Governor Kathleen Blanco declares June 4, 2004, Nanotechnology Day, a day of community awareness programs and lectures, culminating in a networking luncheon. Louisiana researchers and economic development professionals will celebrate and showcase this multi-billion dollar industry to the general public, as well as the contributions that Louisiana researchers are making at a gathering in the rotunda at LSU´s Center for Energy, Coastal, and Environmental Studies on Friday, June 4, 8 a.m. until 2 p.m.
(Bayoubuzz 5/28/04) http://www.bayoubuzz.com/articles.aspx?aid=1707

GI Joe Goes Nano. As the casualty count rises in Iraq, the safety of our soldiers is paramount in the minds of defense researchers. Nowhere is that more evident than at the Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies, established at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2002 with a five-year, $50 million grant from the U.S. Army. The ISN is a unique undertaking. It pulls together 44 MIT faculty and more than 100 students and postdoctoral researchers to interact with the Army and industrial partners. The ISN officially opened its doors last May, and I expect that this new incubator will bring important lifesaving improvements to military science. (Forbes 5/27/04)
http://www.forbes.com/newsletter/2004/05/27/cz_jf_0527soapbox.html

Intel Invests $2B in 65-Nano. Looking for a bit of the luck of the Irish, Santa Clara, Calif.-based Intel (Quote, Chart) is adding a bit of its own green to its holdings in Ireland. The chipmaking giant said is investing $2 billion into extended manufacturing facilities at its Fab 24-2 plant to enable 65-nanometer process technology (define). Intel invested $2 billion in the original Fab 24 four years ago. The idea is to extend the company's 15-year record of meeting or beating Moore's Law (define) and churning out a new process generation every two years. (intternetnews 5/19/04)
http://www.internetnews.com/infra/article.php/3356251

The spooky place where art meets science. Stem-cell revelations, nanotechnology used to make molecular graffiti -- they're at the Subtle Technologies festival of art and science. Ask Jim Ruxton and Tania Thompson what they think about artist Georges Braque's subversive remark that "art upsets and science reassures," and they immediately spring into a defense of the rationale for their little-known, but hugely quirky, festival of art and science called Subtle Technologies. While there are differences in the two communities, says Ruxton, an electrical engineer turned electrical artist/inventor in an artistically loud pink shirt, today things may be the reverse of Braque's statement. "I don't know. I think science upsets a lot of people, and I think that a lot of people in the scientific community are looking to art to help interpret what they do to the general public," he says. (Globeandmail 5/29/04) http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20040529/SCIENCE29/TPEntertainment/TopStories

Insurance industry warned of nanotechnology risks.  A major reinsurance company has advised insurance companies that they may need to reconsider covering products manufactured using nanotechnology until more is known about any possible side effects of the technology. 'As a major risk carrier, the insurance industry can only responsibly support the introduction of a new technology if it can evaluate and calculate its inherent risks,' says Swiss Re. 'A risk needs to be identified before its consequences can be measured and a decision can be reached on the optimal risk management approach.' (Science Blog 5/27/04) http://www.scienceblog.com/community/article2803.html
Also at Slashdot: http://science.slashdot.org/science/04/05/27/1341220.shtml?tid=126&tid=134&tid=191

A Nanotechnology Turnaround? By Glenn Harlan Reynolds. I've written some pessimistic columns on nanotechnology lately. In essence, my concern was that the nanotechnology industry was pursuing an ostrich-like strategy, trying to deny the potential risks posed by nanotechnology in the hope that nobody would notice. The industry was even going so far as to alienate a lot of its natural supporters, as it tried to argue that the kinds of advanced nanotechnology that might spur popular fears were impossible, and that those who felt otherwise were (despite being pioneers in the field) some sort of kooks. (TCS 5/26/04) http://www.techcentralstation.com/052604D.html

Nanotechnology improving energy options. Nanotechnology could help revolutionize the energy industry, producing advances such as solar power cells made of plastics to environmentally friendly batteries that detoxify themselves, experts told United Press International...One nanotech firm, mPhase Technologies in Norwalk, Conn., is partnering with Lucent Technologies to commercialize nanotechnology by creating intelligent batteries, with the intent of bringing the devices to the marketplace within the next 12 to 18 months. (United Press International 5/24/04)
http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20040520-044040-2981r

The First Nanochips. As scientists and engineers continue to push back the limits of chipmaking technology, they have quietly entered into the nanometer realm. For most people, the notion of harnessing nanotechnology for electronic circuitry suggests something wildly futuristic. In fact, if you have used a personal computer made in the past few years, your work was most likely processed by semiconductors built with nanometer-scale features. These immensely sophisticated microchips--or rather, nanochips--are now manufactured by the millions, yet the scientists and engineers responsible for their development receive little recognition. (Scientific American 4/04)
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleID=000CE8C4-DC31-1055-973683414B7F0000&chanID=sa008

China Sets Up Nano Accreditation Board. China has established an accreditation committee for nanotechnology, according to the China Daily. (SmallTimes 4/21/04) http://www.smalltimes.com/document_display.cfm?section_id=51&document_id=7939

Green Plus in ``Formula'' Fuels Boosts Lukoil Sales in Cyprus; Combination of Better Fuel Economy and Lower Emissions Wins Customers. Biofriendly Corporation and Lukoil Oil Company announced today that sales of Lukoil's new Formula Fuels have increased over 20% since their launch in late February. The fuel, which includes gasoline as well as diesel, has been treated with Biofriendly's Green Plus liquid fuel combustion catalyst. The catalyst improves combustion, which produces better performance, better fuel economy and lower emissions...Under development for over 10 years, Green Plus is a new product that employs nanotechnology (working at the molecular level) to achieve a breakthrough combination of improved fuel economy and reduced emissions. (Businesswire 4/19/04) 
http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20040519005701&newsLang=en

Nanotechnology in Fire Protection can save Life and secure Health...Many applications to secure life and health would not be possible without nanotechnology and molecular science. New sensors, glass, electronics, optics, absorbents, concrete additives, coatings, fire retardancy materials, smart fire resistant clothes and new building materials are only some of today's applications. In total there are 48 applications today in fire protection . For the Olympics 2008 in Beijing the state of science in fire protection technologies was defined. Nanochina is a market development that leads several segments in nanotechnology materials and electronics from Chinese companies and technologies. 
(innovations report 5/17/04) http://www.innovations-report.com/html/reports/studies/report-29292.html

In this article from Backbone Magazine, Douglas Mulhall, author of 'Our Molecular Future' tells us about the future of nanomedicine. He thinks that medical diagnosis will be the first successful steps, involving nanorobots which will raise alerts when they detect pre-cancerous cells. And twenty years from now, researchers envision that nanomedicine will be a trillion dollar industry. Around 2025, you'll pay $1,000 a year for a nanopill that will extend your life by suppressing heart attacks, diabetes and other diseases. (Backbone 5/7/04)
http://www.backbonemag.com/php_site/home.php?m_column_id=php_news/wmview.php?ArtID=888

Have a nice weekend. 

Gina "Nanogirl" Miller
Nanotechnology Industries
http://www.nanoindustries.com
Personal: http://www.nanogirl.com
Foresight Senior Associate http://www.foresight.org
Nanotechnology Advisor Extropy Institute  http://www.extropy.org
Tech-Aid Advisor http://www.tech-aid.info/t/all-about.html
Email: nanogirl at halcyon.com
"Nanotechnology: Solutions for the future."


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