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Gaming the Future: The Book!

Category: Opinion

Former patent examiner concerned about nanotech patent thicket

From Newswire Today: Raj Bawa, a former patent examiner and now biotech consultant and Adjunct Assistant Professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, writes in the journal Nanomedicine on his concerns about the growing nanotech “patent thicket” and its negative impact on innovation: “According to Dr. Raj Bawa, author of a recent paper titled ‘Will the nanomedicine… Continue reading Former patent examiner concerned about nanotech patent thicket

Long-term nanotech explored in CRN essays

For those of us interested in longer-term nanotechnology issues, CRN has released a set of eleven essays by visionary writers, most of whom will be familiar names from their having participated in Foresight conferences over the years: Kurzweil, Ray – “Nanotechnology Dangers and Defenses” Freitas, Robert A. Jr. – “Molecular Manufacturing: Too Dangerous to Allow?”… Continue reading Long-term nanotech explored in CRN essays

Biologist expresses concerns about nanobiotech

Biologist Alan Goldstein has a long essay titled I, Nanobot at Salon.com which expresses concern regarding potential dangers of nanobiotechnology, specifically, the creation of non-biological life forms. Most of the stated concerns are abstract, e.g.: “Chemical intelligence can manifest as the ability to catalyze a single chemical reaction. It is a dangerous, and possibly terminal,… Continue reading Biologist expresses concerns about nanobiotech

Nano Today goes independent

Congratulations to editor Cordelia Sealy and her team over at Nano Today, which has just launched as an independent publication, no longer a supplement to Materials Today. The first stand-alone issue has meaty review articles, research news, some business news, and a surprising amount of policy commentary, including an opinion piece (PDF) by David Berube… Continue reading Nano Today goes independent

Nanotech may pull oil from tar sands

On Friday I was at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research’s Economic Summit (some videos available), where among other things I learned that the oil sands of Canada are, unfortunately, more accurately thought of as “tar sands”. But Chevron has announced a $60 million deal to develop these sands. The Motley Fool’s Jack Uldrich… Continue reading Nanotech may pull oil from tar sands

Nanotech: a view from Indonesia

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

Nanotech issues not like GMO controversy

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

Nanotech & the Precautionary Principle: a personal statement

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

Innovation vs. the Precautionary Principle

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

Team of 15 companies and NGOs call for nanosafety funding

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

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