The benefits to energy and space applications of advanced nanotechnology will be huge, but nearer-term we are already seeing some very promising results from simple aluminum nanoparticles. From University of Wisconsin on the work of engineering prof Pradeep Rohatgi, via Foresight Senior Associate Brian Wang: The newest class of MMCs [metal matrix composites] that his… Continue reading Save & store energy, rocket into space with aluminum nanotechnology
First a confession: I have not, in fact, read the entire article “Living with Uncertainty: Toward the Ongoing Normative Assessment of Nanotechnology” by Jean-Pierre Dupuy and Alexei Grinbaum of the Ecole Polytechnique in France, published in Techné: Research in Philosophy and Technology. It is about 10,000 words long and has a great deal of philosophy… Continue reading Nanotechnology advice from philosopher & physicist surprisingly useful
It would be nice if we could physically rearrange the nanotech components on a computer chip after it is made. From Nanotechweb.org: One generally promising approach for electromechanical manipulation at the nanoscale and microscale is “dielectrophoresis” – the net force experienced by a neutral dielectric object in a non-uniform electric field. In recent work at… Continue reading Early step toward rearrangeable nanotechnology computers
The competition must be fierce to be selected by the U.S. National Institutes of Health as one of four National Network of Nanomedicine Development Centers. Based on both this year’s and last year’s medical nanotech funding results, it helps to focus on molecular machines: 2006 Georgia Tech: Nanomedicine Center for Nucleoprotein Machines Purdue: Nanomotor Drug… Continue reading Nanomachines targeted for medical nanotechnology
First, the good news. Here’s an update from Physorg.com on the nanoactuator work reported previously. Not much new technical info, but new thoughts on cool applications: Researchers at the University of Portsmouth, UK, have developed an electronic switch based on DNA – a world-first bio-nanotechnology breakthrough that provides the foundation for the interface between living… Continue reading Patents on fundamental nanotechnology devices may slow progress
Darrell Dvorak at MidwestBusiness.com points out that there’s often some expertise missing from discussions on nanotech risk: Because nanotech operates at the molecular level, there has been much speculation about new, unknown risks of nano products and processes… An encouraging development for a fact-based approach is that regulation has been shown to often hurt more… Continue reading Nanotechnology risks? Ask the economists
We already knew that U.S. President George W. Bush is bullish on nanotechnology, but look who else is on the nanotech bandwagon: Nanotechnology research now under way at the University of Massachusetts Lowell will be a crucial part of any future economic success in both Massachusetts and the United States as a whole, Sen. Edward… Continue reading What George Bush and Ted Kennedy agree on: Nanotechnology
Here’s yet another new national effort in nanotechnology — Kazakstan wants to get in on the action in nanotech: President Nursultan Nazarbaev announced the spending increase on October 13 at a ceremony to mark the 60th anniversary of the country’s Academy of Sciences. Funding will increase by a factor of 25 over the next five… Continue reading Not every country needs a nanotechnology program now
Eoin Clancy writes from the Institute for Nanoscale Science & Technology at University of Newcastle: Recent paper published in Nano Letters “Medium Scale Integration of Molecular Logic Gates in an Automaton” by Joanne Macdonald et al. From the abstract: We now report a second-generation deoxyribozyme-based automaton, MAYA-II, which plays a complete game of tic-tac-toe according… Continue reading DNA does tic-tac-toe, molecular motors work together in nanotechnology
[Instapundit readers: you can sign up for nanotech news emails on the right side of this page at “free registration.”] A nanotechnology report has come out from the World Council of Churches titled “Science, Faith & New Technologies: Transforming Life — Volume I: Convergent Technologies.” (PDF) The World Council of Churches is a group of… Continue reading Nanotechnology: World Council of Churches promotes UN approval required for all new technologies
