Transparent Transistors

While it is not strictly classical nanotechnology, researchers at OSU and Hewlett Packard are reporting the development of transparent transistors based on zinc-tin-oxide.

This of course begs the question given the energy absorption capability, heat radiation capability and the fact that one is moving around electrons which can be much faster than moving around covalently bonded carbon atoms (as is the case with the Drexler rod-logic computer) whether we are headed for an age when our windows are more intelligent than we are?

IMM Prizes in Computational Nanotechnology for 2004

Tim Fonseca writes "Greetings,

This is not a story, but a question. My question concerns my qualifications for entering my nanomedicine image renderings in the "IMM Prizes in Computational Nanotechnology for 2004 Art Contest" http://www.imm.org/prizes/ The IMM webpage mentions that submissions can be sent to Nanodot. Here I am at Nanodot, and damned if I can find a place to submit an image entrie. Please browse through my Nanobot Galleries, on my website. Let me know if my nano images qualify for the "design" and "rendering" categories of the 2004 IMM contest. Can one do a time reversal and enter the 2003 IMM contest, too, since no one won that year? As you can see, pride does not standeth in my wayeth.

Thanks,
Tim Fonseca"

The editors of nanodot apologize to Tim that it took so long to work back to his submission which is now ~6 months old.

Molecular Electronics based memories

UCLA and the California NanoSystems Institute are reporting on rapid progress in Molecular Electronics based on rotaxanes and catenanes [1, 2].

They apparently have an operational 64-bit RAM and are working on a 16-Kbit memory. These have densities that conventional DRAM or disk drive manufacturers can only wish for in their dreams.

1. Flood AH, Stoddart JF, Steuerman DW, Heath JR., Chemistry. Whence molecular electronics? Science 306(5704):2055-6 (17 Dec 2004).

2. Science Daily: Rapid Progress Reported In Emerging Field Of Molecular Electronics (20 Dec 2004).

NNI Strategic Plan

Well it would appear that the U.S. government has released an updated strategic plan for nanotechnology development for the next 5-10 years. You can find the plan itself here. According to comments here the 22 government agencies involved are spending $1 billion on these efforts in 2004. Interesting given that there is no definition for "MNT" in the glossary of the "plan". So we are effectively spending $1B/yr on "nanoscale science"…

The question becomes is there any way to evaluate these plans and budgets to determine whether the U.S. government pushing long term high risk efforts that will ultimately lead to continued U.S. leadership in these high technology areas, or had we best sell everything we own in the U.S. and move to China and enroll in one of the 50 MIT's they plan on constructing? [1]. More…

1. Ray Kurzweil in "Machine Dreams" an interview by Art Jahnke in CIO, October 15, 2004

Nanolegos and Programmable Assemblers?

A group lead by Luc Jaeger at UCSB is reporting [1] in the Dec. 17 2004 issue of Science that they now can program RNA building blocks to self-assemble into complex shapes. Interestingly if extended slightly and combined with certain chemical mixthres that polymerize or perhaps light-hardened polymers one could use the RNA pieces to create casting molds that would allow you to "cast" nanoscale parts with relatively precise atomic dimensions and a relatively high density of covalent bonds. More…

1. Chworos A, Severcan I, Koyfman AY, Weinkam P, Oroudjev E, Hansma HG, Jaeger L., "Building programmable jigsaw puzzles with RNA," Science 306(5704):2068-72 (17 Dec 2004).

Radical Nanotechnology and open debate

Richard Jones, a physicist in the UK and author of the book: Soft Machines: nanotechnology and life, has a rather extensive blog detailing a number of aspects of the debate between the ETC Group, CRN, Drexlerites (esp. Merkle & Freitas) and the majority of nanoscale scientists at this time.

Well worth a look.

ETC Group on nanoparticles in food

Christine Peterson has pointed out that the ETC group is making noise again about "nanoparticles" in our food. In line with their general perspective they claim "In keeping with the Precautionary Principle, all food, feed and beverage products (including nutritional supplements) that incorporate manufactured nanoparticles should be removed from the shelves and new ones prohibited from commercialisation until such time as laboratory protocols and regulatory regimes are in place that take into account the special characteristics of these materials, and until they are shown to be safe."

See: Down on the Farm: The Impact of Nano-scale Technologies on Food and Agriculture.

Updates on Nanodot

In an effort to make nanodot a more concentrated news resource we have added a number of new block summaries that users may choose to add to their nanodot homepages. More…

Nanoluddites active in the U.K.

Christine Peterson has pointed out an item from Howard Lovy's Nanobot regarding Further Info on Nanotech Action in Leeds.

It looks like the European GMO perspective is starting to spill over into nanotechnology. Obviously an education problem here as it seems that the anti-nanotech forces don't seem to realize that nanotechnology can help clean up the existing problems as well as reduce future problems.

How does one make it clear to people that reality is going to evolve and they had best evolve with it?

Self Computing Growing DNA crystals developed

Emeka Okafor writes "PhysOrg comments on a breakthrough in the path towards DNA computing, with implications in the field of molecular construction methods: "…Caltech assistant professor Erik Winfree and his colleagues show that DNA "tiles" can be programmed to assemble themselves into a crystal bearing a pattern of progressively smaller "triangles within triangles," known as a Sierpinski triangle. This fractal pattern is more complex than patterns found in natural crystals because it never repeats…" More…

0
    0
    Your Cart
    Your cart is emptyReturn to Shop