DNA nanotechnology builds large structures from information-rich seeds

DNA origami structures act as seeds to program the construction of structures up to 100 times larger.

A nanotechnology route to quantum computers through hybrid rotaxanes

A major advance in molecular machine fabrication allows the construction of rotaxane molecular shuttles in which organic and inorganic components are mechanically linked in the same molecular structure.

Early retirement — how soon?

In my Early Retirement post, I wrote If you have a human-level AI based on computer technology, the cost to do what it can do will begin to decline at Mooreā€™s Law rates. Even if an AI costs a million dollars in, say, 2020, itā€™ll be a thousand in 2030 and one dollar in 2040… Continue reading Early retirement — how soon?

Nanotech resurgence?

There’s a post at The Futurist entitled Nanotechnology : Bubble, Bust, ….Boom? which echoes an earlier posting here: I believe that nanotechnology underwent a similar bubble, peaking in early 2005, and has been in a bust for the next four years. The Futurist believes nanotech, of the near-term applications-oriented kind, is about ready to pick… Continue reading Nanotech resurgence?

Conference to tackle ethics of nanotechnology and human enhancement

Conference to tackle what they claim is “the single most important issue in science & society in this century.”

Smarter or just fattier?

In an amusing echo to my Smarter or just Faster post on the nature of intelligence, there is a report at Technology Review pointing out a “strong correlation” between the condition of the fatty myelin sheaths of neurons (the insulators to their wires) and IQ. This would make for faster transmission (and presumably less background… Continue reading Smarter or just fattier?

"Cold fusion" redux?

20 years ago, in the wake of the cold fusion excitement-turned-debacle, I noticed an interesting fact. The people doing the experiments were divided into two classes: The electrochemists who believed that fusion was happening were doing their experiments in plastic tubs and glassware, whereas the physicists who believed that no fusion was really happening were… Continue reading "Cold fusion" redux?

Nanotechnology targets cancer cells with dumbbell-like particles

By joining an iron oxide nanoparticle bearing a tumor-specific antibody with a gold nanoparticle bearing an anti-cancer drug, scientists created a dumbbell-like nanotech vehicle that delivered the drug into breast cancer cells.

Videos from Convergence08 Unconference available

Jeriaska has made available videos of presentations from Convergence08, held on November 15-16, 2008 in Mountain View, California, to examine the convergence of NBIC (Nano-Bio-Info-Cogno) technologies. Among those of special interest to Nanodot readers: Mapping a Cone of Uncertainty, Paul Saffo Convergence: Artificial Intelligence Panel, Peter Norvig, Steve Omohundro, Ben Goertzel, Barney Pell Convergence: Synthetic… Continue reading Videos from Convergence08 Unconference available

The world is flat

In this post I began considering the prognostications in George Friedman’s The Next 100 Years, in light of some of the kinds of changes in technology that might come online during the century. This is obviously hard to do, but imagine trying to predict the geopolitical course of the 20th century without understanding the possibility… Continue reading The world is flat

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