[extropy-chat] The Nanogirl News~

[Gina Miller]

The Nanogirl News
June 16, 2005

Scientists unveil 'clay' robots that will shape our world. TINY robots that can turn into any shape - from a replica human to a banana to a mobile phone - are being developed by scientists in the United States. The new science of claytronics, which will use nanotechnology to create tiny robots called catoms, should enable three-dimensional copies of people to be "faxed" around the world for virtual meetings. A doctor could also consult with a patient over the phone, even taking their pulse by holding the wrist of the claytronic replica, reports New Scientist. 
(Scotsman 6/9/05)  http://news.scotsman.com/scitech.cfm?id=632012005

Nano World: Nano for stem-cell research. Cutting-edge nanotechnology is beginning to help advance the equally pioneering field of stem-cell research, with devices that can precisely control stem cells and provide self-assembling biodegradable scaffolds and magnetic tracking systems, experts told UPI's Nano World. "Nanotechnology might show people once and for all that you really can help regenerate organs with stem-cell biology and help people walk again, help people after heart attacks, help people after stroke," said John Kessler, a neurologist at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill. (World Peace Herald 6/13/05) http://www.wpherald.com/storyview.php?StoryID=20050613-112055-9237r

Scientists Fret over nanotech breakthrough. A breakthrough in nanotechnology has enabled doctors accurately to measure the levels of crucial chemicals in living brain cells in real time and at the level of a single cell. Scientists at Stanford University and the Carnegie Institution's Department of Plant Biology claim to be the first successfully to apply genetic nanotechnology using molecular sensors to view changes in brain chemical levels. (Computing 5/31/05) http://www.computing.co.uk/vnunet/news/2137318/scientists-fret-nanotech-breakthrough

Quantum dots prove to be a faster, more sensitive method for detecting respiratory viral infections. In what may be one of the first medical uses of nanotechnology, a chemist and a doctor who specializes in infectious childhood diseases have joined forces to create an early detection method for a respiratory virus that is the most common cause of hospitalization among children under five. (Exploration 6/9/05) http://exploration.vanderbilt.edu/news/news_quantum.htm

UCI scientists use nanotechnology to create world's fastest method for transmitting information in cell phones and computers. UC Irvine scientists in The Henry Samueli School of Engineering have demonstrated for the first time that carbon nanotubes can route electrical signals on a chip faster than traditional copper or aluminum wires, at speeds of up to 10 GHz. The breakthrough could lead to faster and more efficient computers, and improved wireless network and cellular phone systems, adding to the growing enthusiasm about nanotechnology's revolutionary potential. (UCI 6/9/05) http://today.uci.edu/news/release_detail.asp?key=1337

MIT's Nanoprinter Could Mass-produce Nano-devices. Just as the printing press revolutionized the creation of reading matter, a "nano-printing" technique developed at MIT could enable the mass production of nano-devices currently built one at a time. The most immediate candidate for this innovation is the DNA microarray, a nano-device used to diagnose and understand genetic illnesses such as Alzheimer's, viral illnesses such as AIDS, and certain types of cancer. The ability to mass produce these complex devices would make DNA analysis as common and inexpensive as blood testing, and thus greatly accelerate efforts to discover the origins of disease. (Sciencedaily 6/9/05)
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/06/050608054226.htm

Nanoparticles transport cancer-killing drug into tumor cells to increase efficacy, lower drug toxicity in mice. U-M scientists use folic acid as bait to get methotrexate inside tumor cells. University of Michigan scientists have created the nanotechnology equivalent of a Trojan horse to smuggle a powerful chemotherapeutic drug inside tumor cells - increasing the drug's cancer-killing activity and reducing its toxic side effects..."This is the first study to demonstrate a nanoparticle-targeted drug actually leaving the bloodstream, being concentrated in cancer cells, and having a biological effect on the animal's tumor," says James R. Baker Jr., M.D., the Ruth Dow Doan Professor of Biologic Nanotechnology at the University of Michigan, who directed the study. (UMHS 6/15/05) http://www.med.umich.edu/opm/newspage/2005/nanoparticles.htm

Commissioner responds to children's nano questions. EU Science and Research Commissioner Janez Potocnik answered questions from children on nanotechnology when he visited the nanoTruck in Brussels on 15 June. A German initiative, the nanoTruck is a mobile science theme park exhibiting some of the latest science and technology at the nano dimension in a variety of disciplines. Inside the truck are magnetic fluids, measuring instruments that make atoms visible, and scratch-proof coatings for cars. The organizers encourage visitors try out the exhibits themselves, making it an ideal place to introduce the younger generation to the wonders of nanoscience and nanotechnology. 
(Cordis 6/16/05) http://dbs.cordis.lu/cgi-bin/srchidadb?CALLER=NHP_EN_NEWS&ACTION=D&SESSION=&RCN=EN_RCN_ID:23992

Good news about saliva or "spit". Dr. Wong, who also leads UCLA's Dental Research Institute, described the latest in saliva diagnostic research to attendees at the American Dental Association's National Media Conference, held here today. "We have developed highly specific, nanotechnology-based biosensors (ultra tiny machines that read the simplest cell structure), which will permit the detection of disease-bearing biomarkers in saliva," said Dr. Wong. Scientists have long recognized that saliva contains the full complement of proteins, hormones, antibodies and other molecular substances frequently measured in standard blood tests to monitor health and disease, he explained. (myDNA 6/9/05) http://www.mydna.com/resources/news/200506/news_20050609_spit.html

NCL to go into labs with 'Golden Triangle' for cancer trials. EIGHT months after raising hopes with their cutting edge 'Golden Triangle' technology for fighting cancer sans chemotherapy, nanoscientists at the National Chemical Laboratory (NCL) are gearing up for the technology's first in-vitro tests. Murali Sastry, head, Nanoscience Group at NCL, said the in-vitro (laboratory) tests would be conducted on cancerous cells in a month's time at the Tata's Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer (ACTREC) in Navi Mumbai...The trials are being conducted to establish the toxicity of the gold nano-particles. ''While gold is inherently non-toxic, we have to see exactly where the nano-sized triangles go when introduced into the cancerous area. We have kept a two-year window to see if we can get into clinical trials on humans.'' 
(Allheadline News 5/31/05) http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=131718

World's most precise "hard x-ray" nanoprobe activated. Marking a major step forward in using x-rays to study extremely small structures and phenomena, the world's first "hard x-ray" nanoprobe beamline was activated on March 15, 2005. The unique nanoprobe is one of the featured instruments at the new Center for Nanoscale Materials (CNM), a U.S. Department of Energy user research facility located at Argonne National Laboratory, about 25 miles west of Chicago. CNM researchers expect to soon be using the x-ray nanoprobe to study individual atoms, molecules, and the unique physical interactions that occur at the nanoscale, where features are measured in nanometers, or billionths of a meter (a nanometer is 70,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair). (Nanoapex 5/30/05)
http://news.nanoapex.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=5650

Thin films of silicon nanoparticles roll into flexible nanotubes. By depositing nanoparticles onto a charged surface, researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have crafted nanotubes from silicon that are flexible and nearly as soft as rubber. "Resembling miniature scrolls, the nanotubes could prove useful as catalysts, guided laser cavities and nanorobots," said Sahraoui Chaieb, a professor of mechanical and industrial engineering at Illinois and a researcher at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology. (Eurekalert 6/14/05)
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-06/uoia-tfo061405.php

China tops the world in nano-papers. News from the 2005 China International Conference on Nanoscience and Technology (China Nano 2005) held on June 9 says that by December 2004 China has had more than 800 companies engaged in trade in nano-technology and about a hundred nano-technology research institutes. More than ten projects such as for making Li cells, solar cells, textiles and environment-friendly interior paints have been commercialized. (People's Daily Online 6/10/05)
http://english.people.com.cn/200506/10/eng20050610_189642.html 

Nanotechnology's Environmental, Health, and Safety Risks Can Be Addressed Responsibly Today. Stakeholders ranging from corporations to start-ups to protest groups are concerned about the environmental, health, and safety (EHS) risks of nanoparticles -- the prospect that tiny, engineered particles of matter might harm workers, consumers or the environment. While such EHS risks do exist, they can be appropriately addressed today using well-established risk management techniques, according to a new report from Lux Research entitled "A Prudent Approach to Nanotech Environmental, Health, and Safety Risks." (Yahoo 6/15/05) http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050615/nyw071.html?.v=11
 
When Nanopants Attack. On a chilly Chicago afternoon in early May, environmental activists sauntered into the Eddie Bauer store on Michigan Avenue, headed to the broad storefront windows opening out on the Magnificent Mile. Activists hoped to lay bare growing allegations of the toxic dangers of nanotechnology. The demonstrators bore the message in slogans painted on their bodies, proclaiming "Eddie Bauer hazard" and "Expose the truth about nanotech," among other things, in light of the clothing company's embrace of nanotech in its recent line of stain-resistant "nanopants." (Wired 6/16/05) http://www.wired.com/news/medtech/0,1286,67626,00.html?tw=wn_12techhead

Brush up on your nanotechnology. The world's smallest brushes, with bristles more than a thousand times finer than a human hair, have been created by researchers in the US. The brushes can be used for sweeping up nano-dust, painting microstructures and even cleaning up pollutants in water. The bristles' secret is carbon nanotubes, tiny straw-like molecules just 30 billionths of a metre across. They are incredibly tough and yet flexible enough that they will yield when pushed from the side. The researchers behind the brushes were led from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. Their work is reported in the journal Nature Materials. (BBC 6/12/05) 
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4085214.stm

'Emerging Sectors' maps new type of summer camp. What will your kids tell classmates they did this summer? Attend soccer camp? Swim at the pool? Study nanotechnology? Instructors at Oakland Schools hope the response will be the latter as the school system is modeling much of its summer enrichment programs after the county's Emerging Sectors initiative. The curriculum received praise from government officials and industry leaders, who say getting technology training into youngsters' hands is essential in creating tomorrow's high-skilled workforce. 
(mlive 6/16/05)  http://www.mlive.com/mbusinessreview/stories/index.ssf?/mbusinessreview/oak/stories/20050616_emerging.html

Does 10% = Halfway? To "maximize the potential and minimize the risks" of nanotechnology, DuPont CEO Chad Holliday and Environmental Defense (ED) President Fred Krupp are calling for "increased risk research, improved regulatory oversight, proactive corporate management standards, and broad stakeholder engagement." Given potential liability and market risks, industry, universities, government and public interest groups should collaborate to determine what testing is necessary for new nanoproducts. Businesses then should conduct the needed testing before new products enter commercial use. . . A collaborative effort could set interim standards for nanotechnology around the world while regulations are under development. (CRN blog 6/15/05) http://crnano.typepad.com/crnblog/2005/06/does_10_halfway.html



Gina "Nanogirl" Miller
Nanotechnology Industries
http://www.nanoindustries.com
Personal: http://www.nanogirl.com/index2.html
Foresight Senior Associate http://www.foresight.org
Nanotechnology Advisor Extropy Institute  http://www.extropy.org
3D/Animation http://www.nanogirl.com/museumfuture/index.htm
Email: nanogirl at halcyon.com
"Nanotechnology: Solutions for the future."
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