FWD [extropy-chat] The Nanogirl News~
Terry W. Colvin
fortean1 at mindspring.com
Mon Oct 31 23:03:35 UTC 2005
The Nanogirl News
October 31, 2005
Carbon nanoparticles stimulate blood clotting, researchers report. Both
nanotubes and airborne particles cause platelets to clump together.
Carbon nanoparticles - both those unleashed in the air by engine exhaust
and the engineered structures thought to have great potential in medical
applications - promote blood-clotting, scientists report in an upcoming
edition of the British Journal of Pharmacology. Researchers from The
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and Ohio University
examined the impact of various forms of carbon nanoparticles in a
laboratory experiment on human platelets - blood's principal clotting
element - and in a model of carotid artery thrombosis, or blockage,
using anesthetized rats. (Innovations Report 10.24.05)
http://www.innovations-report.com/html/reports/life_sciences/report-50706.html
Kinematic Self-Replicating Machines Now Freely Available Online. The
most comprehensive review of the field of Kinematic Self-Replicating
Machines (KSRM), the title of a book co-authored by Robert A. Freitas
Jr. (http://www.rfreitas.com) and Ralph C. Merkle
(http://www.merkle.com), was published in hardback in late 2004. The
book is still available in print
(http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1570596905), but KSRM is now
freely accessible online at http://www.MolecularAssembler.com/KSRM.htm.
With 200 + illustrations and 3200 + literature references, KSRM
describes all proposed and experimentally realized self-replicating
systems that were publicly known as of 2004, ranging from nanoscale to
macroscale systems. The book extensively describes the historical
development of the field. It presents for the first time a detailed
137-dimensional map of the entire kinematic replicator design space to
assist future engineering efforts. KSRM has been
cited in two articles appearing in Nature this year (Zykov et al, Nature
435, 163 (12 May 2005) and Griffith et al, Nature 437, 636 (29 September
2005) and appears well on its way to becoming the classic reference in
this field.
Scientists build world's first single-molecule car. Rice University
Scientists have done it. After BMW announced the possibility of
producing a car that would utilize nanotechnology practically for all
functions, Rice University scientists developed the world's first
single-molecule car- the car that was driven on a gold microscopic
highway. It a small coupe that is devoid of any plush seating or
conventional steering system. But it is a real solution for the grid
locked cities. With a wheelbase of less than 5 nm, parking it is a
cakewalk. (Physorg 10.20.05) http://www.physorg.com/news7438.html
Richard Errett Smalley, a gifted chemist who shared a Nobel Prize for
the discovery of buckyballs, helped pioneer the field of nanotechnology
and became Houston's most notable scientist, died Friday afternoon after
a six-year struggle with cancer. He was 62. Smalley possessed prodigious
talent both within the lab, where he cobbled individual atoms together
like tinker toys, and outside academia after he won science's greatest
prize. In the decade since he became a Nobel laureate, Smalley pushed
Rice University and Houston to the forefront of nanotechnology research.
(HoustonChronicle 10.29.05)
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/front/3424406
Engineers Build DNA 'Nanotowers' With Enzyme Tools. Duke engineers have
added a new construction tool to their bio-nanofabrication toolbox.
Using an enzyme called TdTase, engineers can vertically extend short DNA
chains attached to nanometer-sized gold plates. This advance adds new
capability to the field of bio-nanomanufacturing. "The process works
like stacking Legos to make a tower and is an important step toward
creating functional nanostructures out of biological materials," said
Ashutosh Chilkoti, associate professor of biomedical engineering at
Duke's Pratt School of Engineering. (ScienceDaily 10.14.05)
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/10/051013085140.htm
Foresight Awards Nanotech Prizes. The Foresight Nanotech Institute, a
think tank and public interest organization focused on nanotechnology,
awarded prizes to leaders in research, communication, government and
study in the field of nanotechnology at the 13th Foresight Conference.
(SmallTimes 10.27.05)
http://www.smalltimes.com/document_display.cfm?section_id=39&document_id=10230
<http://www.smalltimes.com/document_display.cfm?section_id=39&document_id=10230>
Modifications render carbon nanotubes nontoxic. Rice team mitigates
toxicity of tiny cylinders with chemical changes. In follow-on work to
last year's groundbreaking toxicological study on water-soluble
buckyballs, researchers at Rice University's Center for Biological and
Environmental Nanotechnology (CBEN) find that water-soluble carbon
nanotubes are significantly less toxic to begin with. Moreover, the
research finds that nanotubes, like buckyballs, can be rendered nontoxic
with minor chemical modifications. The findings come from the first
toxicological studies of water-soluble carbon nanotubes. The study,
which is available online, will be published in an upcoming issue of the
journal Toxicology Letters. The research is a continuation of CBEN's
pioneering efforts to both identify and mitigate potential
nanotechnology risks. (EurekAlert 10.26.05)
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-10/ru-mrc102605.php
Nanotechnology seeks to detect food contaminants. Using microchips to
detect and remove contaminants such as E. coli, anthrax or botulism from
food may sound like Star Wars technology to some, but Larry Branen
believes it's possible. The challenge is that researching and developing
the necessary technology requires working with materials smaller than a
hair. Such research even has its own name: nanotechnology. "At such
small levels, there are changes in the properties of materials and how
they interact. Scientifically, we must approach them in new ways," said
Branen, associate director of the University of Idaho's Research
Institute here. (Capital Press 10.21.05)
http://www.capitalpress.info/main.asp?SectionID=67&SubSectionID=617&ArticleID=20611&TM=30977.9
<http://www.capitalpress.info/main.asp?SectionID=67&SubSectionID=617&ArticleID=20611&TM=30977.9>
Future nanotech tools made from clay. NaturalNano says that by filling
Halloysite tubes with copper and then mixing the tubes into a polymer, a
manufacturer could make an electrically conductive plastic. If filled
with fungicides, the Halloysite particles--which consist of aluminum,
oxygen, silicon and hydrogen--could be swirled into paint to make it
more resistant to mildew and mold. Time-released coatings could also be
added to make all-day deodorant. The tubes could even have agricultural
uses. (Cnet 10.26.05)
http://news.com.com/Future+nanotech+tools+made+from+clay/2100-11390_3-5914034.html
Solar cell solution: nanotechnology. One-hundred times smaller than
bacteria, more efficient than plastic film, nanotubes prove promising at
harvesting sun's power. If the nation decided to blanket its rooftops in
solar cells -- generating as much as 75 percent of all electricity
produced today -- it would be costly beyond belief and probably
impossible: There isn't enough silicon. Scientists for 20 years have
searched for an answer in very thin, plastic films, something that could
be rolled out nationwide for a few cents per square foot. But they
haven't proved very efficient at harvesting the power of the sun and
tend to break down in air and sunlight.
(Inside Bay Area 10.21.05)
http://www.insidebayarea.com/argus/localnews/ci_3138128
$35 Million in Awards to 12 Cancer Nanotechnology Platform Partnerships.
The National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of
Health (NIH), today announced funding for a major component of its
$144.3 million, five-year initiative for nanotechnology in cancer
research. Awards totaling $35 million over five years, with $7 million
total in the first year, will establish 12 Cancer Nanotechnology
Platform Partnerships. (Azonano 10.18.05)
http://www.azonano.com/news.asp?newsID=1548
Physicists have observed the Jahn-Teller effect in a molecule for the
first time. The effect was seen in carbon-60 molecules doped with
potassium. The results could shed more light on the fundamental
properties of molecular nanostructures (Science 310 468)."The
Jahn-Teller effect has long been known to play an important role in the
relationship between the structure of molecules and their energy levels,
but this is the first time anyone has directly imaged it at the
single-molecule level," says Mike Crommie of the University of
California at Berkeley and the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, leader of
the team that saw the effect. (nanotechweb 10.24.05)
http://nanotechweb.org/articles/news/4/10/15?alert=1
Nanotechnology targets new food packaging products. Exciting new
nanotechnology products for food packaging are in the development
pipeline or, as in the case of anti-microbial films, have already
entered the market, according to a report published this month by an
EU-funded research team. "While far reaching visions such as nanotech
food synthesizers or pathogen killing nanobots are not expected to
become reality within the next decades, nanotechnology related R&D for
food processing, food engineering and food packaging is in the
innovation pipeline of the food industry today," the team said.
(Foodnavigator 10.12.05)
http://www.foodnavigator.com/news/ng.asp?n=63147-nanotechnology-food-packaging-research-and-development
Center on Nanotechnology and Society Created at IIT. A nearly $500,000
Congressional earmark is helping fund the creation of the Center on
Nanotechnology and Society at the Illinois Institute of Technology.
Housed in IIT's Chicago-Kent College of Law, the Center will examine
legal, social and ethical implications of nanotechnology. (nanotechwire
10.13.05)
http://nanotechwire.com/news.asp?nid=2440
Ford, Boeing and Northwestern Form Nanotechnology Alliance. Ford Motor
Co., The Boeing Co. and Northwestern University have big plans to work
together to make the future very small. The two companies and the
university are in final negotiations to form a new alliance to research
commercial applications of nanotechnology, the branch of engineering
that deals with things smaller than 100 nm and at the molecular level.
Ford and Boeing will each provide financial support for three years, and
Northwestern's Robert R. McCormick School of Engineering and Applied
Science will provide administration of the alliance and office space for
a full-time Ford employee who will serve as the industrial alliance
coordinator. (Photonics 10.1205)
http://www.photonics.com/todaysheadlines/XQ/ASP/navclick.true/QX/article.asp?id=5862
Engineers at Purdue University have shown how researchers might better
use tiny hollow fibers called "multi-walled carbon nanotubes" to more
precisely measure structures and devices for electronics and other
applications. Findings will appear in the November issue of the journal
Nanotechnology. Researchers attach the tubes to the ends of imaging
instruments called atomic force microscopes. Because the tubes are long
and slender, their shape is ideal for the emerging field of
"nanometrology," which is precisely measuring structures on the scale of
nanometers, or billionths of a meter. (Physorg 10.12.05)
http://www.physorg.com/news7175.html
Nanotechnology Emergence Generates High Expectations, Expert Says.
Independent oversight of research needed to address any health hazards.
The following article appears in the October 2005 issue of the State
Department's electronic journal Economic Perspectives. It is based on an
op-ed article published on the Pennsylvania State University Internet
site but has been revised and updated by the author for this
publication. The complete issue, titled The Promise of Biotechnology,
can be viewed on the USINFO Web site. (begin byliner) Wither
Nanotechnology? By Akhlesh Lakhtakia Distinguished Professor of
Engineering Science and Mechanics at Pennsylvania State University.
Think small, dream big" is a typical slogan about the promise of
nanotechnology within the scientific research community. Once relegated
to pure fiction, nanotechnology is becoming increasingly linked with
advances in biotechnology and information technology. With annual
expenditure for nanotechnology research in the United States estimated
to be in excess of $2.6 billion in 2004, the word "nano" is even finding
its way into popular culture, from daily horoscopes to newspaper
cartoons. (USINFO.STATE.GOV 10.27.05)
http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2005&m=October&x=20051027140334SAikceinawz0.3895227&t=livefeeds/wf-latest.html
<http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2005&m=October&x=20051027140334SAikceinawz0.3895227&t=livefeeds/wf-latest.html>
Proofreading and error-correction in nanomaterials inspired by nature.
Mimicking nature, a procedure developed by researchers at the University
of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign can find and correct defects in
self-assembled nanomaterials. The new proofreading and error-removal
process is based on catalytic DNA and represents a paradigm shift in
nanoscale science and engineering.
(nanotechwire 10.18.05) http://nanotechwire.com/news.asp?nid=2461
Nanomanufacturing: First Systematic Study Of Cadmium Selenide
Nanostructure Growth Yields Production 'Road Map'. Researchers have
taken an important step toward high-volume production of new
nanometer-scale structures with the first systematic study of growth
conditions that affect production of one-dimensional nanostructures from
the optoelectronic material cadmium selenide (CdSe). Using the results
from more than 150 different experiments in which temperature and
pressure conditions were systematically varied, nanotechnology
researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology created a "road map"
to guide future nanomanufacturing using the vapor-liquid-solid (VLS)
technique. (ScienceDaily 10.30.05)
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/10/051028140332.htm
Nano skyscrapers may precede space elevator. Liftport, a
space-infrastucture company, has been among those who support
construction of a space elevator, a long thin cable made of carbon
nanotubes anchored to a platform or ship at sea and extending out into
space. Held in place by the earth's rotation, the space elevator, with
the help of robots, would ferry materials to outer space.
(ZDnet 10.26.05) http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9596_22-5914208.html
Happy Hallows Eve.
Gina "Nanogirl" Miller
Nanotechnology Industries
http://www.nanoindustries.com
Nano animations for hire:
http://www.nanogirl.com/index2.html
Foresight Participating Member http://www.foresight.org
Nanotechnology Advisor Extropy Institute http://www.extropy.org
http://www.nanogirl.com/crafts/microjewelry.htm
Email: nanogirl at halcyon.com <mailto:nanogirl at halcyon.com>
"Nanotechnology: Solutions for the future."
--
"Only a zit on the wart on the heinie of progress." Copyright 1992, Frank Rice
Terry W. Colvin, Sierra Vista, Arizona (USA) < fortean1 at mindspring.com >
Alternate: < fortean1 at msn.com >
Home Page: < http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Stargate/8958/index.html >
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