[ExI] The Nanogirl News~

[Gina Miller]

The Nanogirl News
July 20, 2008

National Nanotechnology Initiative Amendments Act enters U.S. Senate. U.S. Senators John Kerry and Olympia Snowe this week introduced the National Nanotechnology Initiative Amendments Act of 2008. The legislation was passed by the House of Representatives last month. The legislation aims to toughen the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) by increasing its commitment to environmental health and safety research. Sens. Inouye, Stevens, Pryor, Smith, and Wyden have co-sponsored the bill. "Nanotechnology is a huge part of America's future, but it'll never take off if people don't trust that it's safe," said Sen. Kerry. "As we begin to further understand the immense capacity of this technology to improve our quality of life, public health and environmental safety must be top priorities." (SmallTimes 7.18.08)
http://www.smalltimes.com/display_article/334708/109/ARTCL/none/none/1/National-Nanotechnology-Initiative-Amendments-Act-enters-US-Senate/

Russia & U.S. unite over nanotechnology. Russia and the U.S. have agreed to their first joint steps in nanotech co-operation. Some experts say nanotechnology is set to become one of the most important industries of the century. (RussiaToday 7.19.08) http://www.russiatoday.ru/scitech/news/27725

New Nano-Device Detects Light from Big Bang. An electronic circuit 100 times smaller than a hair, could help astronomers shed light on the universe's creation. The experimental device, developed by a team of physicists from NASA and several universities, is potentially 100 times more sensitive than existing "bolometers" or detectors of infrared and submillimeter waves-so sensitive that it can detect even a single photon of infrared light. This represents a significant breakthrough for scientists who hope to use such technology in space-borne telescopes to measure the invisible light that makes up 98 percent of light emitted since the "big bang." (Physorg 7.10.08) http://www.physorg.com/news134923099.html

Biocon Technologies, India''s leading biotech company, today launched 'Abraxane,' a solvent free paclitaxel, a first of its kind nano technology drug for metastatic breast cancer, developed by Abraxis BioScience, a US company...With the launch of the new drug against the metastatic breast cancer, the most potent and solvent-free paclitaxel, Abraxane, was being made available to patients in India who were diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. In the clinical trial, the tumor response rate was nearly double for patients who received Abraxane compared to those who received solvent-based paclitaxel. (MyNews.in 7.18.08) http://www.mynews.in/fullstory.aspx?storyid=7707

Molecular Hula Hoop. Spinning motion of a molecular rotor detected...Nanoscience has produced components for molecular-scale machines. One such device is a rotor, a movable component that rotates around an axis. Trying to observe such rotational motion on the molecular scale is an extremely difficult undertaking. Japanese researchers at the Universities of Osaka and Kyoto have now met this challenge. As Akira Harada and his team report in the journal Angewandte Chemie, they were able to get "snapshots" of individual molecular rotors caught in motion. As the subject of their study the researchers chose a rotaxane. This is a two-part molecular system: A rod-shaped molecule is threaded by a second, ring-shaped molecule like a cuff while a stopper at the end of the rod prevents the ring from coming off. (Physorg 7.17.08)  http://www.physorg.com/news135501221.html

Scientists In A Virtual World. Purdue University is operating a virtual environment that enables scientists and engineers to interpret raw data collected with powerful instruments called dynamic atomic force microscopes. The online tools, believed to be the first of their kind for the instruments, represent a research trend, with tools for other applications also being developed, said Arvind Raman, a Purdue professor of mechanical engineering. (MedicalNewsToday 7.20.08) http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/115346.php

Nanotube-Coated Pot Boils Water FAST. It's about to get that much easier to create a tempest in a teapot. Conventional wisdom holds that a watched pot never boils and while "never" might be an exaggeration, most of us can agree that it takes longer than we'd like. However, researchers at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have discovered that by coating the inside of a pot with a microscopic layer of copper nanotubes-which under appropriate magnification make the surface of the cooking vessel look hairy-they can increase the efficiency of energy transfer from the pot to the water it holds by an order of magnitude. (ecogeek 7.9.08)
http://www.ecogeek.org/content/view/1853/74/

Nanoradio Tunes In to Atoms. A carbon-nanotube radio receiver can detect individual gold atoms. Carbon nanotubes that act like miniature radio receivers can detect and weigh individual gold atoms, according to a new study from the University of California, Berkeley. Researchers say that the sensors could one day be used to detect individual biomolecules, such as proteins, which might be employed to monitor the air for small traces of bioterror agents, or for rapid bedside diagnostics on unfiltered blood samples. (Technology Review 7.21.08) 
http://www.technologyreview.com/Nanotech/21105/?a=f

Nanotechnology to provide cheap solar energy. Research into new types of solar cells produced by nanotechnology will be described by Professor Darren Bagnall at the World Renewable Energy Conference in Glasgow...Professor Bagnall and his Nano Group at the University of Southampton's School of Electronics and Computer Science (ECS) have conducted extensive research into how nanotechnologies can contribute to the creation of solar cells which can be manufactured on cheap flexible substrates rather than expensive silicon wafers by using nanoscale features that trap light. (nanotechwire.com 7.19.08) http://nanotechwire.com/news.asp?nid=6329

Researchers at the University of Southern California's Information Sciences Institute (ISI) have demonstrated a way to manufacture micro-scale containers from polysilicon sitting on top of a thin film of gold. The containers, they say, could be used to deliver precise micro- or even nano- quantities of drugs. (SmallTimes 7.17.08) http://www.smalltimes.com/display_article/334644/109/ARTCL/none/none/1/USC-researchers-design-micro-drug-delivery-systems/

Gallery: From Tiny Machines to Security, the Future of Nano-Fabrication. As nanomachines move beyond just prototypes, a potential industry of microscopic mass production awaits its own Henry Ford to make it a reality. In anticipation of this demand, researchers at a nanotech lab at UCLA are mass-producing billions of customizable microparticles using a machine normally found in the microchip fabrication industry. Lead by Dr. Thomas Mason, the team has created microscale letters to illustrate the possibilities of this new process. (Wired 7.19.08)
http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/multimedia/2008/07/gallery_nano_letters

Self-Assembling Tissues. Living Legos can be directed to form tissue-like structures... Khademhosseini and a group of researchers at MIT and Harvard have come up with a simple two-step process to make the living Legos self-assemble. Their...relies on the basic fact that water and oil don't mix. When water is dropped into a pool of oil, it will form a sphere, the shape that minimizes its interaction with the oil, says Khademhosseini. The polymer building blocks are hydrophilic--they easily absorb water and resist interacting with oil. But they can't change their shape, so when Khademhosseini places them in an agitating bath of mineral oil, the blocks clump together in order to minimize their contact with the oil. The polymer blocks, now assembled into branches, cubes, and other shapes, are bonded together with another flash of light. The organization of the resulting structures can be controlled by varying the shape and size of the building blocks and the agitation speed. By repeating the process, Khademhosseini can build up larger and larger structures that resemble, for example, blood vessels running through tissue. And by combining building blocks of different shapes that fit together like a lock and key, Khademhosseini can build even more complex structures. 
(Technology Review 7.15.08) http://www.technologyreview.com/Nanotech/21080/page2/

Nano-Sized Jaws Could Lead to More Powerful Sensors and Diagnostic Tools. Berkeley Lab scientists have developed a nano-sized synthetic polymer bundle that can fold in half and trap a zinc molecule between its jaws, a first-of-its-kind feat that mimics how proteins conduct life's vital functions. The scientists' success in coaxing protein-like function from a synthetic polymer is an initial step toward developing nanostructures that combine the precision of proteins with the ruggedness of non-natural materials. Although very primitive by nature's standards, their polymer bundle could lead to highly accurate sensors capable of operating in harsh environments, or disease-targeting pharmaceuticals that last much longer than today's therapies. (NCR 7.21.08) http://www.azonano.com/news.asp?newsID=6877 

Nano Pet Products, LLC Increases Availability of it's ...Nanotechnology-Based Pet Products Through...Pet Supply Distributors. We carry thousands of pet products but Nano Pet's Dog Gone Smart(TM) line of pet beds and pet apparel caught our attention because of the unique nature of the fabric and protection technology," explained Royal Pet Supplies Senior Buyer, Mark Whitney. He added, "When we tested the dog beds, we were impressed by the remarkable durability and washability of the product. We look forward to seeing additional applications of the technology in the near future." (Marketwatch 7.16.08) 
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/nano-pet-products-llc-increases/story.aspx?guid=%7B9B51EADC-B5A8-4E55-B4C4-41B36A9781B0%7D&dist=hppr

IBM Invests $1 Billion To Expand Chip Plant...New York Gov. David A. Paterson, who announced both the state and the IBM investments, said the projects demonstrate that New York is "a clear national leader in nanotechnology development." Nanotechnology involves engineering atomic-scale particles and electronics. It is being used to create high-powered, long-lasting batteries and tiny, fast computer chips, among many other products. (The Wall Street Journal 7.16.08) http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121615857518656061.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Directed self-assembly of ordered structures as a simple nanotechnology tool...a group of scientists has developed a simple and straightforward method to create gradient concentric rings of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) over large surface areas with controlled density by combining two consecutive self-assembly processes, namely, evaporation-induced self-assembly of polymers in a sphere-on-flat geometry, followed by subsequent directed self-assembly of MWCNTs on the polymer-templated surfaces. (nanowerk 7.16.08) http://www.nanowerk.com/spotlight/spotid=6415.php

Nanotechnology provides key capability for artificial photosynthesis. The chemical reactions of photosynthesis require more energy than can be imparted by visible light to single electrons. Chinese scientists have developed a nanotech solution to harvest energy from multiple electrons-something alternative approaches to artificial photosynthesis have not yet managed to do. (Nanodot 7.16.08) http://www.foresight.org/nanodot/?p=2792

Nanocantilevers Image Nanoparticles in Cells. Borrowing from a Nobel Prize winner's technique credited with starting the nanotechnology revolution, a team of researchers from Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Northwestern University's Nanomaterials for Cancer Diagnostics and Therapeutics has developed a method for imaging nanoparticles inside of cells. This technique should prove useful for studies of nanomaterials toxicology as well as those designed to improve nanoparticle-based drug delivery. This work has been published online in advance of print publication in the journal Nature Nanotechnology. (nanotechwire.com 7.19.08)
http://nanotechwire.com/news.asp?nid=6325


Gina "Nanogirl" Miller
Nanotechnology Industries
http://www.nanoindustries.com
Personal: http://www.nanogirl.com
Animation Blog: http://maxanimation.blogspot.com/
Craft blog: http://nanogirlblog.blogspot.com/
Foresight Senior Associate http://www.foresight.org
Nanotechnology Advisor Extropy Institute  http://www.extropy.org
Email: nanogirl at halcyon.com
"Nanotechnology: Solutions for the future."
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