A UK/France/Italy/Netherlands/Czech team have announced the building of a new nanosensor/switch/actuator. As described by CORDIS (Source: Foresight News Digest): “The motor is attached to the [DNA] strand at the specific sequence of bases. Then the team introduces ATP, the phosphate molecule that provides energy within living cells, into the microfluidics channel. This is the fuel… Continue reading European team make nanoactuator
Over at the Nanotech Briefs’ Nano Test Blog is a post on work by UIUC physicist Paul Selvin showing that myosin VI can act as a molecular transporter: ” ‘We found that, at high enough concentrations, some of the myosin molecules would find one another, they would dimerize, and they would start walking,’ Selvin said…’And,… Continue reading Myosin can act as molecular transporter
From Alan Boyle, science editor at MSNBC, news of DNA self-assembly work at the lab of Eric Winfree of Caltech: “A computer scientist has developed a method to weave stringy DNA molecules into nanometer-scale, two-dimensional patterns ranging from smiley faces to a map of the Americas. “Experts say the ‘DNA origami’ procedure laid out by… Continue reading DNA origami from Caltech may be useful for nanoscale factory
Biologist Alan Goldstein has a long essay titled I, Nanobot at Salon.com which expresses concern regarding potential dangers of nanobiotechnology, specifically, the creation of non-biological life forms. Most of the stated concerns are abstract, e.g.: “Chemical intelligence can manifest as the ability to catalyze a single chemical reaction. It is a dangerous, and possibly terminal,… Continue reading Biologist expresses concerns about nanobiotech
From Nanotechwire.com: “An Oxford University physicist sees the future of nanotechnology in the workings of one of Nature’s tiniest motors, that which allows some bacteria to swim by rotating slender filaments known as flagella. ” ‘The bacterial flagellar motor is an example of finished bio-nanotechnology, and understanding how it works and assembles is one of… Continue reading UK/Japan researchers on path to artificial molecular machines
The report from the September 2005 workshop on The Nanotechnology-Biology Interface: Exploring Models for Oversight has been issued today by the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs. In addition to the usual nanoparticle safety discussions, the report touches on bigger issues. From the press release: “The report also calls for more conversation about nanotechnology… Continue reading Nanobio governance: exploring models for oversight
For a fun-and-easy introduction to biological nanotechnology, check out the Gulf of Maine Research Institute’s site on the topic. It includes coverage of some of the controversies. The site is a heavy user of Flash — those on dial-up connections may find it too slow. (Credit: Alan Lishness, the Institute’s Director of Innovation) —Christine
Dr. Anita Goel, who won the 1999 Foresight Distinguished Student Award, went on to earn a PhD and MD from Harvard/MIT and then founded her own company, Nanobiosym. She explains the motivation and process in a Technology Review article: “More than 10 years ago, as a physics undergraduate at Stanford University, I fell in love… Continue reading Nanobiosym founding explored in Technology Review
As part of the EC-funded Nano2Life program, Aharon Hauptman and Yair Sharanhaupt of the Interdisciplinary Center for Technology Analysis and Forecasting (ICTAF) at Tel-Aviv University have written a 39-page report titled “Envisioned Developments in Nanobiotechnology” based on a survey of 139 experts from 30 countries. The 50% median date estimate from “experts and knowledgeable” for… Continue reading Time estimates for nano developments 2008-2021
Earth & Sky’s David Portree conducts an interview of bionanotechnologist Viola Vogel of the University of Washington’s Center for Nanotechnology: “Engineers who learn how to work at the nanoscale start getting a different view of the principles that Nature evolved. Nature never microfabricated anything, but all organisms, humans included, are assembled from the bottom up… Continue reading Interview with bionanotechnologist Viola Vogel
