Paul C. Easton writes "Former Foresight Update editor Lew Phelps brings to our attention that The World & I magazine is soliciting articles about nanotechnology. Specific topics may include nanotechnology applications in materials design, electronics, robotics, health care, environment, energy conversion, transportation, and national security. Articles on the ethical and social implications of nanotechnology will also be considered."
WillWare writes "From Ananova, a story about Jennifer West's work at Rice University on "nanoshells", remniscent of earlier work at Sloan-Kettering:"
Tiny golden "bullets" could eventually be used to target and destroy cancerous tumours while leaving healthy tissue unharmed… researchers used nanoshells – tiny particles of silica coated with gold – to apply heat to tumours and destroy them using near-infrared light, a type of low-energy radiation.
Formerly implying they played a primary, or at least major, role in getting the MNT study taken out of recent legislation, NbA is now downplaying their part in the process. Perhaps they got some flak about it? See Howard Lovy's blog item. Note to Mark M.: it is a risky thing to make fun of bloggers–they can make a difference. Just ask Trent Lott, the former Senate majority leader.
Dean Tribble writes "ZettaCore, a semiconductor start-up initially funded by Draper, Fisher, Jurvetson, received B-round venture funding of $17.5M, led by the top-tier Kleiner Perkins.
HLovy writes "The nano meme continues to pick up steam. I'm among the Pong generation, so I might be lost in this game space, but it's clear that game programmers and marketers know a cool prefix when they hear it. So, in no particular order, here are some of the latest games and videos with a nano theme."
Benjamin Melki writes "With an interest increase in nanotechnology companies among the investors community, Nanovip.com has compiled a list of public companies directly involved in nanotechnology research or products. Concerned markets are the Nasdaq, the Nyse, the OTC BB, pink sheet… and we have also listed companies trading on the Hong Kong board, on the UKís lse and on the Toronto stock exchange. We are open to new suggestions."
Senior Associate RobertBradbury writes "Eurekalert has a story about scientists at Purdue who are starting to unravel how mussels can stick to almost anything. It appears that iron is used as an essential crosslinking agent between the protein(s) in the adhesive. The common crosslinking agent in proteins is sulfur but the bonds may be weaker than those that iron provides. This may give nanotechnology oriented chemists an additional strategy for producing cross-linked polymers to develop Stages 2 & 3 of one nanotechnology development path as discussed by Drexler in Table 16.1 of Nanosystems."
Foresight Senior Associate Steve Jurvetson let us know of molecular memory start-up ZettaCore's coup: getting Intel co-founder Les Vadasz onto their board of directors. Said Vadasz: "I haven't joined any other boards since retiring…This was the only one I thought could have a high-enough impact that it piqued my interest." Jurvetson's firm DFJ is an investor in ZettaCore.
David B. Hughes writes "The debate over whether molecular manufacturing and nanoassemblers are feasible has turned into a PR war. With billions of dollars of research funding and industrial profits at stake, both sides are taking their ideological clash to the public. So far, Eric Drexler and the Foresight Institute own the moral and scientific high ground. But his critics at the National Nanotechnology Initiative hold the purse strings. And they don't play by the same rules."
Roland Piquepaille writes "Engineers and physicists working together have discovered that under certain conditions liquid drops and gas bubbles were breaking at two separate points instead of one, leaving an extremely thin thread in between. This could lead to the creation of nanofibers and nanowires and to numerous applications, such as new kinds of composite materials, electronic circuits and pharmaceutical products. Nanotechweb.org reports on this discovery in "Nanowires drop out of fluid research." I'm not totally convinced that this discovery can lead to solid industrial processes, but it sure looks promising. You'll find more details and references in this overview which also includes an image of the break-up of a water drop in oil."
