Author: Foresight Editor

from the bigger-molecules-mean-smaller-transistors dept.
Gina Miller writes "From a University of Chicago press release: Chemists synthesize key component in the drive toward molecular electronic devices. 'The component, called a molecular diode, restricts current flow to one direction between electronic devices. In the semiconductor industry these components, called p-n junctions, form half of a transistor.'"

from the hats-off-to dept.
During the 10th Foresight Conference on Molecular Nanotechnology the Institute for Molecular Manufacturing announced the winners of the 2002 IMM Prizes in Computational Nanotechnology. Awards were made in three categories of the four categories covered by the IMM Prizes in Computational Nanotechnology. The DESIGN Category was won by the team of Santiago Solares, Mario Blanco, and William A. Goddard III. The RENDERING Category was won by Carlo D. Montemagno. The SIMULATION Category was won by Lawrence Fields and Jillian Rose.

from the hats-off-to dept.
During the 10th Foresight Conference on Molecular Nanotechnology the Foresight Institute announced the following prize winners. The winners of the 2002 Foresight Institute Feynman Prizes in Nanotechnology were Chad Mirkin for the Experimental category and Don Brenner for the Theory category. The winner of the 2002 Foresight Institute Distinguished Student Award was Yi Cui. The winner of the 2002 Foresight Institute Prize in Communication was David Pescovitz. A story reporting the awards was carried by Small Times and by the UPI.

from the planning-for-the-long-term dept.
Forever Young: "Suppose You Soon Can Live to Well Over 100, As Vibrant and Energetic as You Are Now. What Will You Do With Your Life?" Writing in the October 13, 2002 edition of the Washington Post, Staff Writer Joel Garreau provides another example of the growing interest of mainstream media in radical life extension.

from the getting-the-facts-right dept.
Senior Associate Mark Muhlestein writes to point out an ACM TECH_News summary "Big Risks on a Minuscule Scale" that, amazingly, labels Foresight Chair Eric Drexler as opposed to the development of nanotechnology: "The wide scope of potential nanotech applications makes it hard to determine the most dangerous risks, but opposition figures such as Eric Drexler and Bill Joy have envisioned doomsday scenarios in which nanobots either self-replicate and overwhelm the planet, or wreak havoc from within the human body."

from the making-dents-in-hard-problems dept.
Nanotech Goes Mainstream, an article by Alexandra Stikeman in the October 2002 Technology Review, describes how "The new NanoMechanical Technology Laboratory brings a burgeoning field closer to the real world." The new facility at MIT is equipped with instruments like nanoindentors, atomic force microscopes, and computer workstations for running three-dimensional simulations of materials. These tools help researchers study materials across a range of disciplines and applications, including materials for hard disk drives, composites of biological and inorganic materials, and experiments to discover the mechanical properties of tissues and cells.

from the tuning-tiny-sensors dept.
Nano-Machines Get Some Fresh Air, posted Oct. 1, 2002 to Daily inScight, describes work that could considerably broaden the potential uses of NEMS (nanoelectromechanical) devices. The researchers used laser light shining through a 2 micrometer-square piece of silicon suspended by a pair of 200-nanometer-thick silicon beams to allow the silicon to vibrate at a precise frequency in air, the way that it would vibrate in a vacuum without the laser light. Since a single bacterium or several virus particles stuck to the square would change the vibration frequency, this advance opens the way to developing NEMS devices as ultrasensitive biodetectors.

from the mandating-foresight dept.
In the September 24, 2002 issue of the Nanobusiness Alliance E-News, F. Mark Modzelewski, Executive Director of the NanoBusiness Alliance, labeled the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act "the most important piece of nanotechnology legislation to date." In describing the bill, Modzelewski points out

The bill also provides $5 million per year for a new Center for Ethical, Societal, Educational, Legal and Workforce Issues Related to Nanotechnology, which will be required to track and research the societal, ethical, educational, legal and workforce issues related to nanotechnology.

from the grabbing-your-share dept.
Shootout at the IP Corral, an article by Sandra Helsel dated October 4, 2002, presents an interview with two IP specialists from the San Diego office of Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison, LLP, focusing on IP and patent protection for nanoelectronics. "Nanotechnology is new, and this means a lot of possible patent protection could be very broad…This is a time of great opportunity; nanotechnology is such a wide-open field right now. It's rather like a land grab in the Wild West."

from the nanomedicine-art-goes-mainstream dept.
Nanotechweb reported on Sept. 24, 2002 that Nanotechnology picture scoops prize "A nanotechnology image has won first prize in the 'Science Concepts' section of the 2002 Visions of Science Awards. The image shows a nanomedicine application, in which a 'nano-louse' device administers treatment to red blood cells." [A larger version of the image.] The image was created by digital illustrator Coneyl Jay and the award was originally reported in the Daily Telegraph (requires free registration).