The Wilson Center’s Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies has launched a product database currently listing over 200 consumer products identified by their manufacturers as using nanotechnnology. A 10-page initial analysis is available (1.1 MB pdf). David Forman commented in Small Times Direct, the email service from Small Times magazine: “On the safety front, note that the… Continue reading Nanotech consumer products inventory launched
Writing in The Jakarta Post, Indonesia’s leading English language newspaper, is attorney Mohamad Mova Al ‘Afghan. He looks specifically at molecular nanotechnology, which he defines as “the capability to assemble any product than can be designed directly from atoms and molecules.” See the full article, or these excerpts: “The revolution in manufacturing resulting from MNT… Continue reading Nanotech: a view from Indonesia
The U.S. National Cancer Institute brings us a summary of a journal article which argues that comparing nanotechnology to genetically-modified organisms misleads the public: “Writing in the Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society, Ronald Sandler, Ph.D., and William Kay, Ph.D., argue that the GMO-nanotechnology analogy overstates the likelihood of a backlash against nanotechnology. The use… Continue reading Nanotech issues not like GMO controversy
Closing out our week here at Nanodot on a cheery note, some good news about carbon nanotubes, brought to us by Michael Freemantle of C&E News, regarding research done by a UK/France/Italy team: “Carbon Nanotubes Pass Safety Test Functionalized carbon nanotubes are rapidly cleared from blood, excreted in urine “A new study could allay some… Continue reading Carbon nanotubes pass a key safety test
Yesterday I wrote about a possible nanotech-based replacement for battery technology, and mentioned that I’m the daughter of a battery engineer. What I didn’t say then is that my dad died of a type of cancer which is found more often among those involved with battery manufacture. This gives me a more vehement view than… Continue reading Nanotech & the Precautionary Principle: a personal statement
As a battery engineer’s daughter, I appreciate how hard it is to make a better battery. Now Technology Review reports that some MIT researchers are taking a different approach: make a better capacitor. Excerpts: “The new technology, developed at MIT’s Laboratory for Electromagnetic and Electronic Systems, should improve ultracapacitors by swapping in carbon nanotubes, thereby… Continue reading Nanotech ultracapacitors from MIT
Discussions of nanotechnology held in Europe usually invoke the Precautionary Principle, which comes in various forms from the reasonable to the extreme. Ron Bailey of Reason discusses the extreme form of this principle in Culture of Fear: Dealing with cultural panic attacks, based on a recent conference. Excerpts: “At the AEI conference, University of Kent… Continue reading Innovation vs. the Precautionary Principle
Given how the word “nanoparticle” is often defined, one could say that a lot of our food is naturally made of nanoparticles. But industry needs guidelines on which new nanoparticles are safe to put in foods and food packaging. Current regulations address such substances by chemical makeup, not size — and size makes a difference… Continue reading Nanofood: independent guidelines issued
A group of 15 companies and non-profit organizations today sent a letter to each member of the U.S. Senate and House Appropriations Committees, calling for an increase in federal nanosafety funding. While the National Nanotechnology Initiative legislation has included funding for creating new nanotechnologies, and for studying their societal impact, it did not mandate a… Continue reading Team of 15 companies and NGOs call for nanosafety funding
Check out the Wilson Center website this Thursday, February 16, at 2-3 PM Eastern time for the first event of the Green Nano series, sponsored by the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies: “The GreenNano series aims to advance development of clean technologies using nanotechnology, to minimize the environmental and human health risks associated with the manufacture… Continue reading Live webcast on Green Nano this Thursday
