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Gaming the Future: The Book!

Month: March 2004

Logic Functions within a Single Molecule

Roland Piquepaille writes "Molecular computing is a fascinating subject that I already covered several times (check here or there for example). Now, researchers from France and England are going further computing. They want to make logic circuits by linking individual molecules. They even think that they can build these logic circuits within a single one, according to this article from Technology Research News. But challenges remain and practical applications will not appear before at least ten years. This overview contains more details and references about these findings. It also includes an amazing diagram showing a benzene molecule configured as an XOR logic gate."

Single gene differentiates human brain from other

WillWare writes "Articles at New Scientist and EurekAlert discuss a finding that a single mutated gene may account for the larger size of human brains relative to those of other primates. The gene involved appears to influence or control the muscle mass used by the jaw in biting. In humans the bite muscle is weak, and consequently the skull is permitted to grow larger and permit the brain to do likewise. This might affect the feasibility of the Open-source Bonobo project."

Buckyballs may be Toxic

Dr_Barnowl writes "The Register has printed this article quoting Nanotechnology Linked to Organ Damage – Study in the Washington Post reporting that Buckyballs are toxic in concentrations around that typically found of other pollutants. While this is not yet published in a peer-reviewed journal, the reported toxic effects are severe enough to provoke concern." Instapundit Glenn Reynolds comments on the Washington Post story and what it means for the nanotechnology industry PR strategy with respect to MNT. Reynolds also provides links to comments on the story from bloggers Howard Lovy and Phil Bowermaster.

The Arrival of Nanotech Memories

Roland Piquepaille writes "After the ages of DRAM and SRAM memories, is this time for nanotech memories? ExtremeTech says that "molecular memories" as well as memories based on carbon nanotubes are emerging. With these nanotech memories, several startup companies are envisioning future chips mixing logic, memory and reconfigurable computing elements. One of these promising startups is ZettaCore, which was mentioned several times here more for its investors than for its technology. The company has built a prototype of a molecular memory designed to replace both SRAM and DRAM kinds of memories. These molecules, which are about 1 nanometer in size, are also self-assembling, meaning that they can be manufactured with existing equipment used in the semiconductor industry. This overview contains more details about the technology and includes a diagram of these molecules in a memory array."

Comprehensive website for nanotechnology careers

Foresight Institute and Working In Ltd., an employment and education web company, launched a comprehensive resource website, Workingin-Nanotechnology.com, on March 19, 2004. This site is designed to meet the increasing demand for career, education and training information in the emerging field of nanotechnology.

Controlling the Architecture of Nanocrystals

Roland Piquepaille writes "Until now, the fabrication of nanocrystals implied to inject various chemicals into heated solutions. As the solution concentration changed during the reaction, the process was hard to control and the results were somewhat unexpected. But now, researchers at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) have found an easy way to control the architecture of nanocrystals. They simply use electricity to control the nanocrystals shapes in a reproducible way. This opens the door to new applications such as using ferromagnetic nanocrystals as components in ultra high-density storage media. More details and references are available in this overview. It also includes illustrations of different shapes of nanocrystals obtained by applying different voltages."

Gathering to Put Feynman's Vision Into Action

Foresight Vision Weekend "Putting Feynman's Vision Into Action"
Senior Associates Gathering, May 14-16, 2004 in Palo Alto
Welcome Reception Friday, May 14, at 7 pm
https://legacy.foresight.org/SrAssoc/spring2004/index.html
PRELIMINARY PROGRAM NOW AVAILABLE: https://legacy.foresight.org/SrAssoc/spring2004/program.html

Singing Cells in the Key of C-Sharp

JamGrrl writes "Using AFM technology in a way never initially intended, researchers at UCLA have discovered that cells make sounds. Living yeast cell walls rise and fall three nanometers on an average of 1,000 times a second. Amplified through an AFM like a record needle, this produces sound. Yeast cells play between C-sharp and D, just above middle C. Dying cells make a higher pitched tone, and dead cells continue to vibrate, albeit in very low tones. If tones are found to be consistant between types of cells and cell condition, this technique may be used in the future to diagnose diseases, possibly before the onset of symptoms."

New IoP journal

qftconnor writes "I just noticed that IoP has launched a new journal called the Journal of Neural Engineering. According to the Editorial in the first issue, 'The scope of Journal of Neural Engineering encompasses experimental, computational and theoretical aspects of neural interfacing, neuroelectronics, neuromechanical systems, neuroinformatics, neuroimaging, neural prostheses, artificial and biological neural circuits, neural control, neural tissue regeneration, neural signal processing, neural modeling and neuro-computation.' All articles are available without subscription through December 2004. Perhaps the first conference on neuroengineering, held last year in Capri, and the formation of this new journal are signs that the field is becoming mainstream."

The ViriChip Uses an Atomic Microscope to Catch Vi

Roland Piquepaille writes "Researchers in Iowa have used nanotechnology to develop a very small silicon chip to catch and help identify viruses, according to Technology Research News. The device, dubbed the ViriChip, is used in conjunction with an atomic force microscope (AFM). The prototype is already able to identify several viruses and should be in labs in less than two years. A particular application could help save lives by enabling doctors to check a donor heart for potential infections before transplanting it to a patient. This overview contains more details. It also includes references to other articles about the ViriChip and images showing how it looks and a virus it detected."

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