[extropy-chat] The Nanogirl News~

Tue Feb 28 05:40:06 UTC 2006

Nanogirl News
February 27, 2006

Methodist Neurosurgeon Makes Quantum Leap on Nano-Level. A neurosurgeon at the Methodist Neurological Institute (NI) is the first to use an enzyme-driven technique to label nanotubes with quantum dots, giving scientists a better way to see single-walled carbon nanotubes...Dr. David Baskin, neurosurgeon at the Methodist NI, and his colleagues published these research findings in the March 2006 issue of BioTechniques. (Physorg 2.22.06) http://www.physorg.com/news11092.html

Molecules get More Classical at High Pressures. A new study of molecules being squeezed in a diamond anvil cell shows that as the pressure goes up, the force between atoms in a two-atom molecule behaves more and more like the classic Hooke's law, according to which the force between two objects connected by an elastic spring is proportional to the contraction or extension of the spring. 
(Physics news update 2.21.06) http://www.aip.org/pnu/2006/split/766-3.html

Nanostructures in 3D. Max Planck researchers from Düsseldorf unveil the first three-dimensional electron microscope for examining nanomaterials structure. It is the world's first electron microscope for simultaneously and automatically investigating in three-dimensions the phase content, crystallographic texture, and crystal interfaces of materials - co-designed and put into service at the Department of Microstructure Physics and Metal Forming at the Max Planck Institute for Iron Research in Düsseldorf, Germany. The device contains a high-resolution scanning electron microscope and an -ion-beam microscope. (Max Planck 2.22.06)
http://www.mpg.de/english/illustrationsDocumentation/documentation/pressReleases/2006/pressRelease200602221/index.html 

Nanotechnology Leaders to Converge in Washington, D.C., This Week for NanoBusiness Alliance Public Policy Tour; Two-Day Tour Includes Press Conferences, Meetings With Members of the House and Senate. The NanoBusiness Alliance, the world's leading nanotechnology trade association, today announced that it is gathering over forty nanotechnology luminaries in Washington, D.C., this week for two days of meetings with dozens of top government officials. Delegates include CEOs, scientists, chief technologists, financial professionals and consultants from the foremost companies leading the nanotechnology revolution. (Business Wire 2.15.06) 
http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20060215005914&newsLang=en

Nano World: Gold nano vs. Alzheimer's. Gold particles only nanometers or billionths of a meter wide together with extremely weak microwaves can dissolve the abnormal protein clumps linked with Alzheimer's disease and potentially those linked with other degenerative illnesses as well, experts told UPI's Nano World. (Physorg 1.20.06) http://www.physorg.com/news10099.html

Cell-Based Nano Machine Breaks Nano-Record. Researchers have known for some time that a long, fibrous coil grown by a single-cell protozoan is, gram for gram, more powerful than a car engine. Now, researchers at Whitehead Institute-together with colleagues at MIT, Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA, and University of Illinois, Chicago-have found that this coil is far stronger than previously thought. In addition, the researchers have discovered clues into the mechanism behind this microscopic powerhouse. (newswise 12.5.05) http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/516578/?sc=rssn

Navy, UH team up to detect biological agents, land mines. NSF grant establishes nanomagnetics research program in collaboration with Naval Research Labs. Detecting biological agents, developing land mine discovery techniques and improving computer memory durability are among the projects in which some University of Houston engineering students will be involved through the National Science Foundation-Navy Civilian Service Fellowship Program. (Eurekalert 2.14.06)
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-02/uoh-nut021406.php

Atom Hauler: Molecular rig snags multi-atom loads. A molecule with a knack for picking up and delivering atoms may prove a useful tool for atomic-scale construction. Scientists in France and Germany who created and tested the molecule say that it and similar custom-made structures might aid tasks such as building molecular-scale circuitry, depositing arrays of atom clusters with special optical or magnetic properties, and cleaning up debris on nanoconstruction sites. 
(Science News 11.26.05) http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20051126/fob2.asp

Brookhaven Scientists Study Liquid "Nanodrops". Scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory have discovered that drops of liquid with thicknesses of just a few billionths of a meter, or nanometers, are shaped differently than macroscopic liquid drops. Their results, published in the February 9, 2006, online edition of Physical Review Letters, help elucidate the behavior of nanoscale amounts of liquid and, as a result, may help advance several developing nanotechnologies. (Brookhaven 2.17.06) http://www.bnl.gov/bnlweb/pubaf/pr/PR_display.asp?prID=06-16 

Cornell scientists build 'nano-keys' to bind cell receptors and trigger allergic reactions. Cornell University researchers have fabricated a set of "nano-keys" on the same scale as molecules to interact with receptors on cell membranes and trigger larger-scale responses within cells, such as the release of histamines in an allergic response. How cell membranes control cellular function has long been studied but with few results. However, nanotechnology now gives researchers new tools to better understand the role of cell membranes in activating responses within cells. (Cornell 2.16.06) http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/Feb06/AAAS.Baird.nanokeys.kr.html

Water Wire. It flows in rivulets, puddles in depressions, falls from the sky; you can even buy it at Costco--three-dimensional, "bulk" water is everywhere. Now, in the 28 October PRL, researchers report a new configuration of a nearly one-dimensional column of water. Although similar forms of water are common in biology, they are rarely seen in the lab, so this liquid "nanowire" may soon reveal important properties of water at the molecular scale. (Physical Review Focus 11.11.05) http://focus.aps.org/story/v16/st15

Nanotechnology used to combat freezing feet. Attention Canadians. If you just trudged in from a blizzard, you may want to take a look at ToastyFeet. The company sells shoe insoles that can keep feet warm despite snow and ice. You can stand on a block of dry ice, chilling at minus 106 Fahrenheit, and your feet will still be 72 degrees. (CNET 2.15.06) http://news.com.com/2061-11128_3-6040195.html

Add Some Atoms, Squeeze Some Buckyballs, Flip a Switch. The First Direct Observation of the Jahn-Teller Distortion in Single Molecules. "Degeneracy" is one of those words that mean something quite different when used by a preacher, a chess player, an astrophysicist, or a mathematician.* To chemists and physicists, degeneracy describes a state in which an electron could potentially occupy either of two orbital paths around a molecule, both of which have the same energy level. (Berkeley Lab 11.29.05) 
http://www.lbl.gov/Science-Articles/Archive/sabl/2005/November/02-buckyballs.html

DNA-Wrapped Carbon Nanotubes Could Target Specific DNA Sequences. Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign who recently reported that DNA-wrapped carbon nanotubes could serve as sensors in living cells now say the tiny tubes can be used to target specific DNA sequences. Potential applications for the new sensors range from rapid detection of hazardous biological agents to simpler and more efficient forensic identification. (azonano 2.23.06) http://www.azonano.com/news.asp?newsID=1881

Could Nanoparticles be Designed to Become Potent Antioxidants? Research at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and Columbia University now shows that nanoparticles composed of cerium oxide or yttrium oxide protect nerve cells from oxidative stress and that the neuroprotection is independent of particle size. As one of the researchers, Professor Dave R. Schubert, head of the Cellular Neurobiology Laboratory at Salk, told Nanowerk: "While there has been a great deal of interest in using nanoparticles as drug delivery vehicles, there has been much less interest in exploring the alternative that they can be engineered to have direct beneficial biological effects." 
(Newswire 2.27.06) http://www.newswiretoday.com/news/3882/

Nano World: New aimed nanoparticles. A new method to develop collections of nanoparticles that each seek out different cell types could help scientists to better spot tumors before they grow or to deliver medicines to precise targets, experts told UPI's Nano World. Interventional radiologist Ralph Weissleder at Harvard Medical School and his colleagues are developing nanoparticles that can emit either magnetic or optical signals. The hope is to coat these nanoparticles with compounds that help guide their way toward specific cells. Such coated nanoparticles could then single out tumor cells to help physicians detect where they are in the body, even if they are few in number and otherwise unnoticeable. (UPI 12.6.05) http://www.upi.com/Hi-Tech/view.php?StoryID=20051130-032202-4485r

Gold Nanoparticle-Virus Networks Work as Intracellular Sensors and Targeting Agents. Researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center report that they have created a way for viral and gold particles to "directly assemble" and potentially seek out and treat disease where it resides in the body. Their study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science USA, demonstrates how to use biologically compatible materials to fabricate a "nanoshuttle" that can be harnessed to viral particles to precisely home to disease wherever it hides. (nanotechwire 2.12.06) http://nanotechwire.com/news.asp?nid=2912

Emmy Nominee Reggie Wells Endorses Eternalis Anti-Aging Advanced Skin Care System by Beyond Skin Science; Reggie Wells, Nominated for Outstanding Achievement in Makeup on the Oprah Winfrey Show...These treatments utilize the latest scientific breakthrough, Nanotechnology, which allows for the delivery of active ingredients that nourish and heal the skin in smaller components, move faster and penetrate deeper into the skin. This results in the ingredients working at a higher level of potency, effectively balancing and re-hydrating the skin, increasing collagen production, and leaving the skin younger looking, healthier and more radiant. 
(Business Wire 2.27.06)
http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20060227005342&newsLang=en

Nano-Armor: Protecting the Soldiers of Tomorrow. An Israeli company has recently tested one of the most shock-resistant materials known to man. Five times stronger than steel and at least twice as strong as any impact-resistant material currently in use as protective gear, the new nano-based material is on its way to becoming the armor of the future. (Physorg 12.10.05) http://www.physorg.com/news8947.html

Computer Simulation Shows Buckyballs Deform DNA. Soccer-ball-shaped "buckyballs" are the most famous players on the nanoscale field, presenting tantalizing prospects of revolutionizing medicine and the computer industry. Since their discovery in 1985, engineers and scientists have been exploring the properties of these molecules for a wide range of applications and innovations. But could these microscopic spheres represent a potential environmental hazard? A new study published in December 2005 in Biophysical Journal raises a red flag regarding the safety of buckyballs when dissolved in water. It reports the results of a detailed computer simulation that finds buckyballs bind to the spirals in DNA molecules in an aqueous environment, causing the DNA to deform, potentially interfering with its biological functions and possibly causing long-term negative side effects in people and other living organisms. (Medical News Today 12.8.05) http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=34665

Kids learn nanotechnology at Nanoworld. Elementary school children across the United States have been learning about incomprehensibly tiny things in an exhibition created by Cornell University. The children make the discoveries while walking through and playing with very large and colorful things in the traveling science museum exhibition created by the Cornell Nanobiotechnology Center. (Upi 2.20.06)
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20060220-061417-4185r

Military Nanotech Spending Proves Difficult to Tap. Abstract: U.S. Department of Defense has funded $195 million in small business nanotech grants since 2002, but only 6% made it past a first phase. -  With threats to the U.S. increasingly coming from terrorist organizations, rogue nations, and insurgencies, the military is driving a major effort to improve its capabilities - making it one of the best prospective buyers for applications of nanotechnology. But companies large and small that supply these nanotech solutions are failing to exploit the military market effectively because of mismatched development strategies, according to a new report from Lux Research entitled "Setting Supplier Strategies for Military Nanotech Applications." (Nanotechnology Now 2.27.06)
http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=13969

Gina "Nanogirl" Miller
Nanotechnology Industries
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"Nanotechnology: Solutions for the future."
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