From The Economist, a look at Russia’s technology, including nanotech: After years of high oil prices, money is again no object: in 2007 Russia put 130 billion roubles ($5.5 billion) into a state corporation for nanotechnologies that is being likened to the Manhattan Project… But the big problem for high technology in Russia is neither… Continue reading Russia's nanotechnology "Manhattan Project" gets slow start
A while back Senior Associate Stuart Scott let us know that he had been selected to participate in a National Citizen’s Technology Forum process on nanotechnology, sponsored by Arizona State and University of North Carolina, among other schools. Presumably this is funded by the social science budget of the U.S. National Nanotechnology Initiative, via NSF.… Continue reading National Citizen's Technology Forum held on nanotechnology
We’ve received an invitation to participate in the Center for Nanotechnology in Society’s project to build and critique nanotechnology scenarios. Current topics to edit in the wiki, or you can add your own: * Barless Prisons * Bionic Eyes * Living with a Brain Chip * Disease Detector * Automated Sewer Surveillance * Engineered Tissues
To round out our week in nanotech on an upbeat note, we have Caltech professor Michael Roukes‘ podcast over at Earth & Sky: Forever Young. In addition to the podcast, and there’s more at the Power of Small television show on medical applications of nanotechnology, which also appears to use the title Forever Young. From… Continue reading Forever young with nanotechnology
Here at Foresight we try to present a balanced view of nanotechnology, discussing prospective benefits while also acknowledging potential problems. It would be good if the “first major television series to look at the implications of advances in nanotechnology” did the same. But see the description of the upcoming public television series: Nanotechnology: The Power… Continue reading 1st major nanotechnology TV series sounds rather negative
We’ve been critical in the past of Saudi Arabia’s policy of having women researchers in nanotechnology (and of course other fields as well) work separately from male researchers. Now King Abdullah has moved personally to fund, at the US$10 billion level, a new graduate-level university with a new policy toward women, to be advised by… Continue reading Saudis to permit co-ed nanotechnology
All this week, NanoBusiness Vice President Aatish Salvi debates nanotechnology with the Center for Technology Assessment’s George Kimbrell over at the LA Times online. An excerpt from the former: Realizing the benefits of nanotechnology will take time. That should come as no surprise. Nanotech is trying to solve some of the hardest and most meaningful… Continue reading LA Times features nanotechnology debate
Reason magazine, which generally takes positions in favor of technology and free enterprise, has a cover story on nanotechnology (full text not posted yet, check link later) which speculates that the U.S. may be more open to nanotech than Europe: In the U.S., despite our flirtation with paranoia about biotech and our routine panics over… Continue reading U.S. seen as more open to nanotechnology than Europe
Longtime Nanodot readers and Foresight members know that our goal here at Foresight is to maximize the benefits and minimize the downsides of nanotechnology. Our friends over at the Wilson Center’s Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies share that goal, as shown in their mission statement: The Project is dedicated to helping ensure that as nanotechnologies advance,… Continue reading Maximizing benefits, minimizing downsides of nanotechnology
Nanowerk brings news that the World Economic Forum is both rewarding nanotechnology pioneers and taking a look at potential risks of nanoparticles. Excerpts: Over the past few years, the Global Risk Network team has released an annual report. This years’ report “Global Risks 2008” (pdf download, 1.6 MB) was published two weeks ago. In it,… Continue reading World Economic Forum takes on nanotechnology
