The leading semiconductor equipment industry association has taken a strong stand (one-page pdf) against new U.S. nanotech export controls: “SEMI is concerned about possible new export controls on nanotechnology products and cautions against further controls until this technology is better defined. “Nanotechnology should not be controlled simply because it is nanotechnology. This label is often… Continue reading New nanotech export controls opposed
Earth & Sky brings us comments on nanosurveillance: “Nanotechnology experts have suggested that nano sensors — tiny devices too small to see with the unaided eye and able to monitor sounds and physical conditions — could be put into paint and sprayed on a wall. “David Guston [Director of the Center for Nanotechnology in Society… Continue reading Nanosurveillance comments from Arizona State, Bell Labs
Foresight director Glenn Reynolds writes at TCS Daily about a major piece now running at Technology Review on biowarfare and bioterror. Basically it sounds as though we have gotten ourselves into a situation where biotech can now be used pretty easily by terrorists, exotic bioweapons (perhaps targeted on ethnic groups) are within the reach of… Continue reading Biowarfare & Bioterror: lessons for nanotech
Iddo Ganuth of IsraCast reports: “An Israeli company has recently tested one of the most shock-resistant materials known to man. Five times stronger than steel and at least twice as strong as any impact-resistant material currently in use as protective gear, the new nano-based material is on its way to becoming the armor of the… Continue reading Israeli nano-armor on the way
In an article in Salon titled “The (really scary) soldier of the future — Thanks to nanotechnology, he’ll be a lethal superman who can heal himself“, Alan Goldstein writes: “Based simply on the projects posted for public consumption, the ISN [Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies] is busy creating a soldier of the future who will be… Continue reading Nanosoldier of the future
In an Oct 17 New York Times op-ed, Ray Kurzweil and Bill Joy combine forces to question the recent publication of the genome for the dangerous 1918 flu virus: “We urgently need international agreements by scientific organizations to limit such publications and an international dialogue on the best approach to preventing recipes for weapons of… Continue reading Kurzweil & Joy protest risky (natural) nanomachine recipe publication
From Cordis News: “The objective of the NanoRoadMap (NRM) project, funded under the Sixth Framework Programme (FP6) is to carry out a long term (ten year) forecasting exercise to provide coherent scenarios and technology roadmaps for nanotechnology applications in three important industrial fields: materials; health and medical services; and energy… “But these enormous benefits are… Continue reading EU NanoRoadMap to cover MNT, nanofactories
From the ever-diligent Charles Q. Choi, on work by physicist Shubhra Gangopadhyay at the University of Missouri at Columbia: “The researchers [have] coated devices made of glass with a mixture of nanoparticle fuel such as aluminum and oxidizer such as iron oxide. The nanoparticle quality of the fuel and oxidizer provides far greater surface area… Continue reading Nanoexplosions-on-a-chip
The Center for Bioethics and Culture, which sponsors the Technosapiens conference series, has published an essay by CBC Fellow Jodi Lamoureux on hype in nanotech. After critiquing comments by Richard Smalley, she summarizes: “It is not technology that gives mankind freedom from evil, but mankind that puts technology to good use. The corollary is that… Continue reading Bioconservatives express hope for nanotech
Those of you familar with military matters know that Jane’s is a respected source of information in that area. So even though an expensive subscripion is required to read the full article by Andew Oppenheimer, it’s worth taking a look at their free abstract posted on the topic of nanotech weapons. Excerpt: “As with many… Continue reading Nanotechnology weapons described in Jane's
