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Gaming the Future: The Book!

Author: Foresight Editor

Scottish researchers find natural enzyme that forms carbon-fluorine bonds

from the put-THAT-in-the-toolbox dept.
According to a press release (21 March 2002), researchers at the University of St Andrews in Scotland have discovered a natural fluorinase enzyme, a biological catalyst which bonds carbon to fluorine. The discovery was published in the 21 March 2002 issue of Nature. An understanding of how natural enzymes handle a highly-reactive element such as fluorine would have important implications for the development of artificial molecular machines systems.

Molecular

An item on the Nature Science Update website ("Magic bullet homes in", by Philip Ball, 4 March 2002) describes work by researchers at the University of Gottingen in Germany who have developed a custom-made drug molecule that turns lethal only when it reaches cancer cells. In healthy cells it is harmless, but it targets tumor cells selectively.

According to the NSU article, the Gottingen antitumour molecule is a ring of three carbon atoms that is highly strained and apt to burst open. Open, it is a reactive molecule that wreaks havoc among the nucleic acid molecules essential for normal cell function. The drug is delivered in the form of a 'prodrug' without the strained ring but with a sugar side-group. Once the sugar is clipped off, the molecule rearranges itself into a three-atom ring, and becomes lethally active. The Gottingen team uses an enzyme to cut away the sugar group. An antibody on the enzyme ensures that the enzyme targets the tumor cells, and activates the drug molecules there.

This method is vaguely similar to another molecular ësmart bombí that employs a single radioactive actinium atom contained inside a molecular cage and attached to a monoclonal antibody that homes in on cancer cells (see Nanodot post from 16 November 2001).

Nanowalkers continue to fascinate . . .

from the feeding-the-fascination dept.
People — or at least the popular science media — seem to have a continuing fascination with the diminutive robots under development by Sylvain Martel at the Nano-Robotics Research Group within the MIT BioInstrumentation Laboratory, who has created small mobile robots which he calls NanoWalkers. Or maybe itís just the hometown press: MITís Technology Review Magazine ran a short article ("Walking Small", by David Cameron, 1 March 2002). Previous coverage of these decidedly NON-nanotech devices was noted here on Nanodot on 25 January 2002 and 20 December 2001.

Not to be outdone, and going a step smaller, an article in Semiconductor Business News ("Agilent Labs says 'nano-stepper' is smallest MEMS device", by Mark LaPedus, 14 March 2002) reports that Agilent Technologies Inc.'s R&D arm in Santa Clara, California is developing what is believed to be the world's smallest device, based on microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology. According to the article, the nano-stepper is a miniature moving component that is capable of providing linear, two-dimensional movements of about 15 million steps per second, with each step taken by the "nano-stepper" measuring 1.5-nm.

New Algorithms for Quantum Computers

Mr_Farlops writes "A Melbourne university student has developed a program that generates algorithms for quantum computers. As Nanodotter, Mark Gubrud made plain [in a Nanodot post from 30 August 2001], setting up algorithms for quantum computers is very hard. Because of this, most research with quantum computers has focused on Shor factoring. But with this new tool perhaps new methods will become availible.

If you agree with Penrose (I am still very skeptical), the brain uses obscure quantum physics to process the data that it does. For this reason and others this research in quantum computing may apply to artificial intelligence."

Bridgestone develops nanotech display

Gina Miller writes "Bridgestone Corp., the Japanese automobile tire manufacturer, has developed LCDs 100 times faster than the current displays, using nanotechnology. The company plans to direct the brighter and cheaper panels to the mobile device market. The spokesman says; "the company hopes to unveil a prototype in the third quarter this year, start sample shipping in the second half of next year and begin mass production by the end of 2003." IDGnet article."

NSF

Comments and presentations made at a recent nanotechnology symposium sponsored by the U.S. National Science Foundation (ìSmall Wonders: Exploring the Vast Potential of Nanoscienceî), held 19 March 2002 in Washington, D.C., generated considerable media attention:

There are also some photographic images of the event, taken by Peter West of the National Science Foundation, available online at the NSF website.

Newt Gingrich talks nanotech to Red Herring

Gina Miller flagged a lengthy interview in the March 2002 issue of Red Herring Magazine ("Nano-Newt!", by Stephan Herrera, 18 March 2002) presents the views of New Gingrich, former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, on nanotechnology, science education, ìhomeland securityî, and a number of other issues. Gingrich became honorary chairman of the NanoBusiness Alliance, a trade organization dedicated to nanotechnology, in December 2001 (see Nanodot post from 14 December 2001), and his influence on the direction of U.S. nanotechnology policy, already significant, is likely to grow.

Researchers demonstrate brain-machine control interface

According to a press release (13 March 2002), researchers at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island have demonstrated direct, real-time brain control of the movement of the cursor in a computer display. Their report appears in the March 14 issue of Nature.

Read more for details and links to additional coverage of the intriguing research.

Brookhaven Lab launches nanomaterials research effort

The Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, N.Y. on Long Island, formally launched its $55 million new Center for Functional Nanomaterials on 8 March 2002. Research at the Center will focus on collaborative projects with industry and academic researchers to better understand the physical, chemical and magnetic properties of materials at the nanoscale, as well as determine what applications these nanomaterials can provide. Coverage of the new Brookhaven initiative is available on the web:

Although the Brookhaven nanomaterials research center is new, the lab has been involved in studies aimed at understanding the nanoscale properties of catalysts and how electric charges move at the nanoscale (see Nanodot post from 12 July 2001).

Technology Review notes new ISN at MIT

from the hometown-rag dept.
A brief article on the Technology Review website ("The Soldier of Tomorrow", by Alan Leo, 20 March 2002) covers the recent announcement by the U.S. Army that the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has been chosen as the host for the new Institute for Solider Nanotechnologies (see Nanodot post on 15 March 2002).

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