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Gaming the Future: The Book!

Author: Allison

NASA to aerospace companies: embrace nanotech

from the hey-flyboys-wake-up-and-smell-the-molecules dept.
Space.com's Leonard David writes on Yahoo News of NASA's advice: "There is a global wake-up call ringing loudly for spacefaring nations. The aerospace industry faces a major overhaul if promising commercial space markets are to be realized in coming years…But after four decades of development, is the promise of a booming commercial space sector more high hope than profitable, bottom-line marketplace?…The key to the space future, [NASA Administrator] Goldin emphasized, is in aerospace companies that embrace biology, nanotechnology and information systems." As a first step, we suggest they read up on work by Tom McKendree, currently at Raytheon.

Source-available molecular modeling on Linux

from the but-how-much-does-it-cost? dept.
We also need a review of this: Molecular Operating Environment (MOE) from Chemical Computing Group: "a software system designed for molecular computing, integrates visualization, model building, simulation, and analysis of molecular structures." Available for Red Hat Linux 6.0. The same license also includes various Windows and other UNIX versions. "MOE comes with source code for customization…MOE is platform independent." And: "The Molecule Builder has been enhanced to include all the Edit menu commands for modifying atom properties and geometries (bond lengths, angles and torsions). Chirality and E/Z inversion has been added as well as the ability to name atoms A0, A1, etc. for combinatorial chemistry applications. Atoms can be bonded, unbonded and deleted from the Builder panel." Sounds expensive; if it's worth the time maybe Foresight can arrange a group discount. Any interest?

Test your molecular designs online, free

from the where-angels-fear-to-tread dept.
We need a review of the experimental HyperCube Compute Server. It is a free web-based service offering computational chemistry: "You go to the compute page to draw your molecule and select the type of calculation you want to perform. At this stage we are offering two type of calculations. The first shows the molecular orbitals calculated using the 3D structure created by HyperChem's modelbuilder. The second shows the optimized structure and infra-red spectra of your drawn molecule. Both of these calculations are performed using the PM3 semi-empirical method." Caveat: it is highly Microsoft-oriented, and not open source.

British Medical Journal endorses open source

from the when-reliability-means-life-or-death dept.
Found on slashdot: The British Medical Journal has endorsed open source software. Excerpt: "It is reliable and secure: source code can be inspected for bugs and security flaws before it is compiled for use. It can be maintained even if the developers who originally produced the software are no longer available…Free software concepts make particular sense in medicine: although peer review has its problems, medical knowledge is becoming more open, not less, and the idea of locking it up in proprietary systems is untenable…The European Union has already embraced open source: its fifth framework programme (which will fund 3.6bn Euros of research and development over the next 5-10 years) places a strong emphasis on projects which will yield open source software as one of the outputs. Next week the NHS Information Authority hosts a seminar to consider the implications of the free software movement for its future strategy."

Commercialization of Carbon Nanotubes

from the can-they-really-trademark-"Bucky"? dept.
Bryan Hall writes "A recent press release from Carbon Nanotechnologies, Inc. discusses an advancement in the commercialization of carbon nanotechnology… “With the formation of CNI, we are seeding a new industry based on carbon,'' said Dr. Smalley. “Carbon is the most versatile of all elements. It is the very basis for life. Now we have a unique new form of carbon that has the potential to propel the 21st century in some fundamentally new directions. We are looking at a whole new field of chemistry with spectacular properties that can unlock a new future for a wide variety of industries.'' Read More for the full post.

Sculpting structures with cells and light

from the new-art-form-or-stunt? dept.
John Doe brings our attention to an Oct. 20 report in Nature Science Update on a new use of optical tweezers by chemist George Whitesides et al: "Harvard scientists have made tiny sculptures from cells, pieced together one by one like building bricks. This technique is not simply an exercise in micro-aesthetics: it could one day be used to make biological sensors, or even replacement organs." CP: Work by George Whitesides just keeps showing up all over the place — Harvard's PR dept must be working hard.

USA Today: No need to fear: Nanotech is near

from the why-can't-SciAm-do-as-well-as-this dept.
Josh Wolfe, Managing Partner, Lux Capital reports that "USA Today's Life section included a broad mainstream overview of nanotechnology"…"Suddenly, nanotechnology is a concept with buzz. Like 'atomic' in the 1950s, nanotech is loaded with almost unimaginable promise and fear. It's also burdened by misunderstanding." It mentions the usual suspects (Zyvex, Bill Joy — "Says IBM's Theis: ''Bill Joy is a great software architect, but he's not a scientist"…) CP: This piece is more accurate than many that have appeared in publications which are supposedly more technical. Kudos to writer Kevin Maney.

Comparison of Idealist, Commercial and Guardian Syndromes

from the not-just-a-comment,-it's-a-commentary dept.
Tom McKendree writes, "Pat Gratton's idea of a third moral syndrome, Idealist, to complement the Commercial and Guardian syndromes described in Jane Jacob's Systems of Survival, is sufficiently compelling to deserve further exploration. (For more discussion of this concept, see the original story on nanodot).

I've tried to compare the three syndromes, matching characteristics where I could, and guessing characteristics where there seemed to be holes. From this exercise, I would guess that the Idealist Moral Syndrome also says 'Respect truth,' 'Collaborate easily with strangers and aliens for the sake of the task,' and 'Treasure standing in the subject area community.'"

Click Read More… to view Tom's table summarizing the comparison.

Could "nanodecoys" filter out biological weapons?

from the on-top-of-spaghetti dept.
Bryan Hall writes "New Scientist reports in a recent aricle that Meatball shaped molecules studded with molecular bait could mop up viruses before they get a chance to attack cells. Such "nanodecoys" could filter out biological weapons in gas masks or even intercept viral invaders when injected into people.

To infect cells, viruses must first attach to their surfaces by targeting specific receptor molecules. So if you create decoys laden with these receptors, you could mop up viruses – and some bacteria – before they reach cells.

Zyvex in Red Herring

from the nanobusiness-in-the-news dept.
Foresight advisor and Zyvex researcher Ralph Merkle points out an Oct 5 column on nanotechnology on the site of business magazine Red Herring: For decades, skeptics have dismissed molecular nanotechnology as the dream of crackpots, fools, and technology visionaries. The skeptics were wrong…in the last two years, there have been new discoveries that may revolutionize the fields of medicine, microprocessors, and synthetic materials. Discoveries such as Northwestern University's new nanolithography techniques used for designing transistors smaller than a molecule, Cornell University's work on how to turn a living cell into a motor, or NASA's progress on the development of carbon nanotubes — super-strong, lightweight materials for use in future spacecraft. Nanotechnology, it seems, is progressing from the science fiction of books like Neal Stephenson's Diamond Age to science fact. Most of the piece is on the company Zyvex, which is working on both bottom-up and top-down approaches.

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