<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
<META content="MSHTML 6.00.2800.1276" name=GENERATOR>
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=#ffffff>
<DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The Nanogirl News</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>February 25,2004</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Intercellular Telephone Wires. Thin tubes between
cells transport organelles but block small molecules. A cell extends a
threadlike tube to a neighbor, attaches, and transfers a small organelle from
one cell to the other. Such a scenario describes a newly discovered type of
cell-to-cell communication [Science, 303, 1007 (2004)]. “The discovery is
spectacular,” says Owe Orwar, professor of biophysical chemistry at Chalmers
University of Technology, Göteborg, Sweden. Orwar has helped develop artificial
systems that demonstrate similar transport (C&EN, May 19, 2003, page
14).<BR>(C&E 2/16/04) <A
href="http://pubs.acs.org/cen/topstory/8207/8207notw1.html">http://pubs.acs.org/cen/topstory/8207/8207notw1.html</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Chelmsford, Mass.-Area Firm to Unveil
Cancer-Fighting Nanotechnology. A local company working with UMass Lowell is
getting ready for clinical trials on a nanotechnology-based cancer treatment for
prostate and breast cancer. "We're getting a little too big for our incubator.
We're about to pop out of our shell," said Dr. Samuel Straface, CEO of Triton
BioSystems, which collaborated with UMass Lowell to develop the treatment.
Representatives from Triton and UMass Lowell, as well as U.S. Rep. Marty Meehan
were scheduled to unveil details during a press conference Wednesday at Triton's
Turnpike Road headquarters. (Miami Herald 2/18/04) <A
href="http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/7982426.htm">http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/7982426.htm</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Nano-Origami: Scientists Create Single, Clonable
Strand of DNA That Folds into an Octahedron. A group of scientists at The
Scripps Research Institute has designed, constructed, and imaged a single strand
of DNA that spontaneously folds into a highly rigid, nanoscale octahedron that
is several million times smaller than the length of a standard ruler and about
the size of several other common biological structures, such as a small virus or
a cellular ribosome. (Scripps Research Institute Issue 6 / Feb.23-04) <A
href="http://www.scripps.edu/newsandviews/e_20040223/nano.html">http://www.scripps.edu/newsandviews/e_20040223/nano.html</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Nerve Cells on a Microchip. Researchers at the
University of Calgary have found that nerve cells grown on a microchip can learn
and memorize information which can be communicated to the brain. "We discovered
that when we used the chip to stimulate the neurons, their synaptic strength was
enhanced," said Naweed Syed, a neurobiologist at the University of Calgary's
faculty of medicine. (sophists.org 2/20/04) <A
href="http://www.sophists.org/article184.html">http://www.sophists.org/article184.html</A><BR>Also
see: <A
href="http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Science/2004/02/19/353566-cp.html">http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Science/2004/02/19/353566-cp.html</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Glass Beads Reveal Molecular Interactions. Berkeley
Lab and UC Berkeley researchers have developed a fast, cheap, and highly
sensitive way to detect molecular interactions without using sophisticated
equipment. Their technique, which uses thousands of microscopic glass beads
coated with a substance that mimics a cell membrane, opens the door for the high
throughput evaluation of an ever-growing family of pharmaceuticals that fight
diseases by targeting membrane-bound receptors. (Berkeley lab Science Beat
2/17/04) </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><A
href="http://www.lbl.gov/Science-Articles/Archive/sb-PBD-glass-beads.html">http://www.lbl.gov/Science-Articles/Archive/sb-PBD-glass-beads.html</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Nanotech shows great promise on medical
application. The science of nanotechnology is rapidly moving from its early
beginnings in electronics, computers and telecommunications into the expanding
field of nanomedicine. The emerging nanomedicine has the potential to change
medical science dramatically in the 21st century, scientists said at the annual
meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in
Seattle. (Chinaview 2/18/04)<BR><A
href="http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-02/18/content_1320625.htm">http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-02/18/content_1320625.htm</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>LG Chem uses nano technology to develop leak-proof
plastic. LG Chem Ltd., the nation's largest chemical company, has used nano
technology to develop a plastic to make high-performance containers. The company
says the innovation is a world's first and it hopes to lead the multi-trillion
won container materials market. The plastic, known as hyperier, is extremely
leak-resistant and can be used in automotive gasoline tanks and chemical
containers. (The Korea Herald 2/20/04)<BR><A
href="http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/SITE/data/html_dir/2004/02/19/200402190028.asp">http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/SITE/data/html_dir/2004/02/19/200402190028.asp</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Tunneling Nanotubes...The researchers, from the
University of Heidelberg in Germany and other European institutions, observed
what they called tunneling nanotubes among embryonic human kidney cells and
normal rat kidney cells. The structures were 50 to 200 nanometers in diameter
(at the upper end, about one 100-thousandths of an inch) and up to several cell
diameters in length. Time-lapse videos show that the tubes form in several
minutes when a slender protrusion from one cell contacts another cell. (The New
York Times 2/17/04)<BR><A
href="http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/17/science/17OBSE.html?ex=1077598800&en=d334aa70c46e0d81&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE">http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/17/science/17OBSE.html?ex=1077598800&en=d334aa70c46e0d81&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Lord Sainsbury Sees Nanotechnology In Action At
Seagate. British Science and Innovation Minister, Lord Sainsbury visited the
Seagate Technology plant at Springtown in Derry this week as part of a day-long
look at the North's micro and nanotechnology sector. (ic Derry 2/20/04)<BR><A
href="http://icderry.icnetwork.co.uk/businessnews/business/content_objectid=13968751_method=full_siteid=66002_headline=-Lord-Sainsbury-Sees-Nanotechnology-In-Action-At-Seagate-name_page.html">http://icderry.icnetwork.co.uk/businessnews/business/content_objectid=13968751_method=full_siteid=66002_headline=-Lord-Sainsbury-Sees-Nanotechnology-In-Action-At-Seagate-name_page.html</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>U.S. and Israeli nanotech researchers set sights on
clean water. Israel's nanotechnology program got a significant boost recently,
with the first meeting of stakeholders in the Nanotechnology Clean Water
Initiative. The Initiative - the result of combined efforts by Dr. Uri Sagman,
Prof. Samuel Pohoryles and former prime minister Shimon Peres - has, for the
first time, brought together major Israeli university researchers and global
industry principals to work on nanotech-based solutions to the water shortage in
the Middle East. (Isreal21 2/22/04)<BR><A
href="http://www.israel21c.org/bin/en.jsp?enPage=BlankPage&enDisplay=view&enDispWhat=object&enDispWho=Articles%5El629&enZone=Technology&enVersion=0">http://www.israel21c.org/bin/en.jsp?enPage=BlankPage&enDisplay=view&enDispWhat=object&enDispWho=Articles%5El629&enZone=Technology&enVersion=0</A>&</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>(5 pages) If It's Nano, It's Big. Investors Are
Building Mountains Out of Tiny Tech...Carbon Nanotechologies Inc., the company
building the new furnace, isn't publicly traded, but a few other companies with
"nano" in their names are, and their stocks have roared off the launch pad
lately. Nanogen Inc.: up 183 percent since the first of December and 503 percent
since the beginning of 2003. Altair Nanotechnologies Inc.: up 502 percent since
early 2003. Nanometrics Inc.: up 347 percent since early 2003. Recalling the
dot-com bubble years, Internet message boards are buzzing with chatter about
nanotechnology stocks going UP! UP! UP! For several years, government leaders
have referred to nanotechnology as the "next industrial revolution," and
predicted that products based on it could be worth $1 trillion in a decade.
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>(WashingtonPost 2/22/04)<BR><A
href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A59607-2004Feb21.html">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A59607-2004Feb21.html</A><BR> <BR>Nanopore
Analytical Instrument Developed by UCSC's new Department of Biomolecular
Engineering... One project that illustrates several aspects of biomolecular
engineering is the nanopore analytical instrument being developed by research
scientist Mark Akeson with Deamer, Haussler, and their students. The nanopore
instrument is built around a membrane containing a tiny hole just a few
nanometers in diameter (a nanometer is one-billionth of a meter). An electrical
field drives single molecules such as DNA through the nanopore. As a molecule
enters the pore, it produces an electrical signal that provides information
about its concentration, identity, and composition. The pore itself is a
naturally occurring bacterial toxin made of self-assembling protein molecules.
Potential applications of the nanopore device include ultrarapid DNA sequencing.
(nanotechwire 2/21/04) <A
href="http://nanotechwire.com/news.asp?nid=727">http://nanotechwire.com/news.asp?nid=727</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Tiny new rulers for the 'ultrasmall'. Scientists
can sometimes get away with approximations. What's a few million years when
you're calculating the age of the cosmos? But engineers need precision. They
cannot reliably make what they cannot measure. And in the world of
nanotechnology, where a billionth of a meter can make a huge difference, they've
had a tough time. Now they're beginning to get some help. Three recently
reported achievements show how researchers finally are mastering the exquisite
precision needed when devices are built atom by atom. For example, MIT
scientists have come up with a tool to make what they call "the world's most
precise rulers - with 'ticks' only a few hundred billionths of a meter apart."
It can lay out a grate of lines and spaces across a large semiconductor wafer
with unprecedented speed. (csmoniter Feb 2604 issue) <A
href="http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0226/p16s01-stct.html">http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0226/p16s01-stct.html</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Governor lobbies White House for nanotech center in
Oregon. Gov. Ted Kulongoski met with a top Bush administration science advisor
Tuesday to pitch Oregon as a site for one of the country's 10 new federally
mandated nanotechnology research centers. Kulongoski said the purpose of his
meeting with Richard Russell of the Office of Science Technology Policy was to
establish a critical "point of contact" inside the Bush administration. "The
real objective was to sell Oregon," Kulongoski said. (BendBulletin 2/25/04) <A
href="http://www.bendbulletin.com/news/story.cfm?story_no=12756">http://www.bendbulletin.com/news/story.cfm?story_no=12756</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Homeland Insecurity: New book relegates
nanotechnology threat to science fiction. A recently published book, entitled
“Nanotechnology and Homeland Security,” claims to be scientific, but has neither
source notes nor bibliography. I discussed its two authors with
nanotechnologists. Mark A. Ratner (the father) is a very well regarded
scientist. But his son Dan, who figures as the first author, ahead of his
father, has done his father a disservice — the book represents the worst case of
“Political Correctness,” is light on science, bloated on arrogance, and
concentrates on trivia. <BR>(World Tribune 2/10/04) <A
href="http://216.26.163.62/2004/lev2_13.html">http://216.26.163.62/2004/lev2_13.html</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>New Index to Track Nano Stocks, But Large-Caps Stay
Off For Now. Investors interested in tracking nanotechnology finally got what
they wanted: a stock index. It comes from Punk, Ziegel & Co., a New
York-based investment bank specializing in health-care technology and biotech.
The firm has been tracking nanotechnology closely the last two years and it
successfully underwrote a 2.3-million-share secondary public offering for Harris
& Harris Group Inc., (Nasdaq: TINY, News, Web), a venture firm specializing
in micro- and nanotechnology, in 2003. The index includes 15 publicly traded
companies active in nanotechnology. (smalltimes 2/24/04)<BR><A
href="http://www.smalltimes.com/document_display.cfm?document_id=7471">http://www.smalltimes.com/document_display.cfm?document_id=7471</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Nano Patterning. IBM brings closer to reality chips
that put themselves together. Self-assembly has become a critical implement in
the toolbox of nanotechnologists. Scientists and engineers who explore the nano
realm posit that the same types of forces that construct a snowflake--the
natural attractions and repulsions that prompt molecules to form intricate
patterns--can build useful structures--say, medical implants or components in
electronic chips. <BR>(Scientific American March 2004 Issue) </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><A
href="http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa001&colID=6&articleID=000170D6-C99F-101E-861F83414B7F0000">http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa001&colID=6&articleID=000170D6-C99F-101E-861F83414B7F0000</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Nanotubes Go with the Flow. Researchers have
assembled carbon nanotubes into arrays of loops, lassos, and hooks, according to
the 13 February PRL. Physicists hope to use these several-nanometer-diameter
tubes to build tiny mechanical and electronic devices, and the unexpected
bending shows that they are more versatile than had been assumed. As one
example, these bent tubes might lead to more sensitive sensors to detect fluid
flow. (Physical Review Focus 2/13/04)<BR><A
href="http://focus.aps.org/story/v13/st7">http://focus.aps.org/story/v13/st7</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Imagine a computer with amazing processing power, a
3D display (literally, not figuratively) instant response, able to run every
available OS and application at the same time, virtually no power consumption,
zero moving parts and complete security - and whose physical component is about
the size of a pack of playing cards. That's not all. It would also hold every
music CD and movie DVD you ever owned, or will own, and still leave space for
not only your family album, but your brother's, sister's, aunt's and uncle's
too. And no more expensive upgrades. As better designs and firmware became
available, you'd simply send the Optocom back to the maker and its holographic
circuitry would be re-programmed with new circuits and firmware. Optocom? It
reads like science fiction but it's short for Optical Computer, and it's based
on firm science fact, says Michael Thomas, inventor of the atomic holographic
nanotechnology that will make it possible. And it would only cost about $1,000.
(P2net 2/25/04) <A
href="http://p2pnet.net/story/842">http://p2pnet.net/story/842</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Marine sponges provide model for nanoscale
materials production. "Nature was nano before nano was cool," stated Henry
Fountain in a recent New York Times article on the proliferation of
nanotechnology research projects. No one is more aware of this fact of nature
than Dan Morse of the University of California, Santa Barbara. His research
groups have been studying the ways that nature builds ocean organisms at the
nanoscale for over ten years. (Scienceblog 2/25/04)<BR><A
href="http://www.scienceblog.com/community/article2361.html">http://www.scienceblog.com/community/article2361.html</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>OHSU researchers discover way to grow silicon
nanowires. Oregon Health & Science University researchers have discovered a
new way to accurately grow silicon nanowires on an electrode for use in
fabricating transistors. A portion of these findings will be published in the
Feb. 23 issue of Applied Physics Letter. The discovery has important
implications for semiconductor research and may one day help engineers build
faster computer chips. (OHSU 2/23/04) <BR><A
href="http://www.ohsu.edu/news/2004/022404nano.html">http://www.ohsu.edu/news/2004/022404nano.html</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Gina "Nanogirl" Miller<BR>Nanotechnology
Industries<BR><A
href="http://www.nanoindustries.com">http://www.nanoindustries.com</A><BR>Personal:
<A href="http://www.nanogirl.com">http://www.nanogirl.com</A><BR>Foresight
Senior Associate <A
href="http://www.foresight.org">http://www.foresight.org</A><BR>Nanotechnology
Advisor Extropy Institute <A
href="http://www.extropy.org">http://www.extropy.org</A><BR>Tech-Aid Advisor <A
href="http://www.tech-aid.info/t/all-about.html">http://www.tech-aid.info/t/all-about.html</A><BR>Email:
<A
href="mailto:nanogirl@halcyon.com">nanogirl@halcyon.com</A><BR>"Nanotechnology:
Solutions for the future."<BR></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV></DIV></BODY></HTML>