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Gaming the Future: The Book!

Month: February 2004

Can Nanoparticles Enter Our Brains?

Roland Piquepaille writes "In a study carried out on rats, U.S. researchers have shown that carbon nanoparticles can move inside the brain after being inhaled, and also move from the lungs into the bloodstream. Both Nature and the Guardian publish interesting stories about this potential new danger to our health. 'Little is known about what effect nanoparticles will have when they reach the brain. The toxicity of the nanoparticles that are currently being used to build prototype nanosized electronic circuits — such as carbon nanotubes, which are produced in labs around the world — has not been thoroughly assessed.' This overview contains excerpts from both articles. Now, let's hope that nanotechnology research will continue and will not be harmed by a moratorium."

For Science, Nanotech Poses Big Unknowns

stan_h writes "The Washington Post at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A148 7-2004Jan31.html has a long article about nanotechnology. By Rick Weiss, Washington Post Staff Writer, Sunday, February 1, 2004; Page A01. The article predicts upcoming regulatory battles over how and when this technology should be released. Quotes Eric Drexler."

Billionaire funding life extension research

From Wired: John Sperling Wants You to Live Forever (And he's Promising $3 billion to make it so.) "For the past seven years, Sperling has quietly assembled an unorthodox team of researchers poised to use all relevant technology – including, ultimately, therapeutic cloning, stem cell medicine, and genetic engineering – to alleviate human suffering and the fear of death."

Nanotech defended on behalf of developing World

Senior Associate Michael Butler forwards "Can Nanotech Help End The Great Human Divide?," which describes a paper by medical ethics experts at the University of Toronto Joint Centre for Bioethics that was published by the IOP journal Nanotechnology "The authors call for a new international network to assess emerging technologies for development, identify the potential risks and benefits of NT incorporating developed and developing world perspectives, and explore the effects of a potential 'nano-divide'."

Letters about Drexler/Smalley debate

Ralph Merkle writes: "The December 1st 2003 issue of Chemical & Engineering News carried a debate between Drexler and Smalley about the feasibility of molecular manufacturing. The January 26th 2004 issue devotes a little over two pages to letters on the debate. Of the eight letters published, five supported molecular manufacturing, one was clearly opposed, and two seemed skeptical."

'Nano-Cameras' Look Inside Cells

Roland Piquepaille writes "Here is another fascinating story. In "Nanotech spy eyes life inside the cell," the New Scientist writes that researchers at Indiana University in Bloomington are using viruses carrying gold nanoparticles as 'nano-cameras' to image living cells and understand how the viruses do their work. The researchers took a virus that infects barley, put it in an alkaline solution and introduced the gold nanoparticles in the solution. Then they fired a green laser. When the laser hit the gold, it went in many directions, revealing what's inside the cell. Now, they have to test this technique on real plant cells. If it works, scientists will be able to really look at individual viruses. This summary contains more details and an illustration."

Business Relinquishment

WesDuCharme writes "Glenn Reynolds has an interesting piece entitled A Tale of Two Nanotechs http://www.techcentralstation.com/012804A.html. He makes the case that the business community is pulling us away from molecular nanotechnology for fear of the public relations problems that advanced applications may cause. In making the case, however, he oversimplifies the dichotomy, ìThe downside is that a sometimes-bitter war has been waged within the nanotechnology community itself, between the scientists and visionaries on the one hand, and the business people on the other. The scientists and visionaries want research on advanced nanotechnologyÖî Of course there are some scientists, such as Richard Smalley (whom Glenn mentions later), who seem squarely on the side of the business community in this matter. The article goes on to make good arguments that what we might call ìbusiness relinquishmentî is unlikely to work."

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