An opinion piece in IEEE Spectrum by Cientifica business development director Dexter Johnson is so conservative in its views that it crosses over into being truly radical. On designer materials: In fact, we are so far from that goal it’s not clear whether we will ever be able to overcome all the obstacles. Not ever?… Continue reading Excess nanotechnology conservatism is too radical
Nanowerk brings us an interview from Chemical Biology about the use of nanotechnology for the measurement of happiness. Yoshinobu Baba, a professor of chemistry at Nagoya University and a director for nanobiotechnology research at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology in Japan, explains: Nanobiotechnology could be used as a measure of happiness,… Continue reading Nanotechnology for personalized happiness measurement
Nanotech experiments using real molecules are expensive and slow. Progress in nanotechnology would be greatly increased by highly advanced software truly able to model how molecules interact to make materials, devices, and systems. What are the odds of highly advanced software — machine intelligence — being developed any time soon? Explore this question at the… Continue reading Nanotechnology and the wildcard of advanced software
Here’s a cheerful note on which to end our week: Most of us would like to reduce the need for experimentation on animals, but the question has been how to do it without increasing risks to humans. Now nanotech is being considered as a possible route, in a new conference sponsored by IoN (there does… Continue reading Nanotechnology to reduce experiments on animals
Nanowerk brings to our attention a new report Democratic technologies? The final report of the Nanotechnology Engagement Group (pdf) which examines the success or otherwise of various attempts at public engagement in nanotech. The foreword by Prof. Richard Jones ends: This report summarises the experiences of public engagement on nanotechnologies that have taken place over… Continue reading Does public engagement in nanotechnology work?
US Rep. Mike Honda (D-San Jose), who has played a key role in previous US nanotechnology legislation and won the 2005 Foresight Institute Government Prize, has introduced a wide-ranging new nanotech bill, described by Nanowerk. In addition to addressing risks: The NANO ACT includes a number of provisions to create partnerships, raise awareness, and implement… Continue reading Nanotechnology bill introduced by Rep. Honda
Foresight president Pearl Chin brings our attention to an interview of Sanjay Gupta in Life Extension magazine. It sounds as though his new book Chasing Life includes coverage of nanotechnology. Excerpts from the interview: Turn on any television in the world—Beijing, Chicago, Tel Aviv, Rome, Los Angeles, or Tokyo—and you will find Dr. Sanjay Gupta… Continue reading Nanotechnology for life extension goes mainstream
Rounding out our nanotechnology week on a leisurely note, we have a new source of nanotech podcasts, over at AzoNano. They’ve just posted their first weekly podcast and also have a couple of nano topic overviews for your commuting or exercising pleasure: Nanotechnology News – Week Commencing 29th July 2007 – NEW Total running time… Continue reading Nanotechnology, life extension podcasts
The new book Nanoethics: The Ethical and Social Implications of Nanotechnology is now out. From the press release: Examining the impact of nanotechnology on society, “Nanoethics: The Ethical and Social Implications of Nanotechnology”…offers incisive essays on the potential risks and rewards of applications of nanotechnology written by both proponents and critics of this burgeoning technology.… Continue reading Nanotechnology explored in new Nanoethics book
First, I should state that I yield to no one when it comes to caring about the environment. That’s what got me interested in nanotechnology in the first place, and a large part of why Foresight was founded in 1986 and keeps going today. So I was disappointed with the recent press release from a… Continue reading Nanotechnology: Activists throw baby out with bathwater
