Author: Foresight Editor

from the "using-foresight-to-protect-the-environmental-future" dept.

The US Environmental Protection Agency is inviting applications for "Exploratory Research to Anticipate Future Environmental Issues" covering:

1. Exploratory Research in Nanotechnogy
2. Futures Research in Natural Sciences
3. Futures Research in Socio-Economics

The nanotech part encourages a range of MNT-type ideas, natural science futures hopes for novel solutions, while the socio-economic part requests fairly conventional trend analysis. Closing date for the Nanotechnogy Program ($5m available) is June 18, 2001. Read More for a quote from the nanotech RFA.

from the redefining-"fluid" dept.
A Georgia Tech press release at EurekAlert describes work by Feynman Prizewinner Uzi Landman: "Landman's research group has reported on the tendency of lubricant molecules such as hexadecane and other molecular fluids to form highly ordered layers in planes parallel to the motion of the confining surfaces. On size scales that approximate multiples of the molecular width, these layered lubricants appear to increase their viscosity, 'becoming, at equilibrium and at various stages of the sliding motion, liquid-like in the plane parallel to the sliding surfaces and solid-like in the direction perpendicular to the surfaces,' Landman said…'We must find clever ways to harness and control these new behaviors in order to realize the opportunities in nanotechnology." " CP: While we do need to know about fluids at nanoscales, do nanomachines need "lubrication" per se?

from the clearly-explained dept.
The free email newsletter TNT Weekly points out a good piece in Mechanical Engineering magazine on Hybrid NEMS, covering the work of Carlo Montemagno and Alex Zettl on molecular motors and bearings. TNT says: "This article is not just another rehashing of the same material but gives more technical detail on the biomolecular motor work than we've seen in any review so far, and in a pretty accessible way. The other researcher puts across his view that we will probably eventually create machines based upon what we've learned from the biological ones rather than using the biological ones directly."

from the onwards-to-the-brain dept.
Senior Associate Charles Vollum writes "Looks like there is good news for cryonics in this BBC article. The story states that 'Frozen human ovary tissue – a potential fertility lifeline for hundreds of UK women – has been successfully thawed and revived in mice.' " Another excerpt: "Dr Debra Gook, who led the team at the city's Royal Women's Hospital, said: 'Our study is the first to confirm normal growth and development of human follicles. The high rate of functional preservation of follicles following cryopreservation also suggests that cryopreservation of ovarian tissues has real potential for clinical application.' "

from the it-works! dept.
In a Feb 9, 2001 item in Science entitled "The Real Power of Artificial Markets" (subscription req'd), it is reported that: "Assessing the probabilities of future events is a problem often faced by science policymakers…At the Foresight Exchange (FX) Web site (http://www.ideosphere.com/), traders can actually bet on the outcomes of unresolved scientific questions…But can we place legitimate credence on the accuracy of FX prices, which are determined solely through competition in a play-money market game? To an extent, yes. We find that FX prices strongly correlate with observed outcome frequencies." Bravo to all at FX and to Robin Hanson, Idea Futures originator. Play for *real* money online at the Foresight Senior Associates idea futures market — just think how accurate it will be. We hope to trade in person at the upcoming Gathering.