From Roland Piquepaille: Gecko lizards, which can climb any vertical surface and hang from a ceiling with one toe, have fascinated scientists for a long time. Their foot-hairs have a structure which allow them to strongly adhere to [almost] any type and shape of surface. Now, according to this short news release from the National… Continue reading Nanotube structures stickier than gecko feet
Over at GE they’re still bringing “bringing good things to life” or in this case, to light: “The discovery was first announced in the current issue of Applied Physics Letters. An official at the GE Global Research Center in Niskayuna sees promise in the efficiency of the nanotubes. ‘The discovery of a photovoltaic effect in… Continue reading Carbon nanotubes generate current from light, may yield solar power
SmallTimes Online Managing Editor David Forman takes on the question of the definition of nanotechnology in SmallTimes Direct, their free email newsletter: “Should sub-100 nanometer integrated circuits be considered nanotechnology? And, other than for the purposes of allocating National Nanotechnology Initiative dollars, does it matter? “The responses were entertaining, to say the least. Some went… Continue reading Does nanotechnology's definition matter?
Physorg.com reports on an advance published in the Aug 19, 2005 Science: “Starting from chemically grown, self-assembled structures in which nanotubes are aligned like trees in a forest, the sheets are produced at up to seven meters per minute by the coordinated rotation of a trillion nanotubes per minute for every centimeter of sheet width…Strength… Continue reading Superstrong nanotube sheets made, targeted at solar sails
Even if you’re not technical, click through this link to see the excellent graphics: For the first time, a molecular dynamics simulation has been run on the Drexler-Merkle differential gear design. The simulation was done by Mark Sims, President and founder of Nanorex, with the nano-ENGINEER1 simulator using an MM2 force field. Sims responded to… Continue reading Differential gear simulated, Drexler joins Nanorex
The Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science has released a report describing the basic research needed to produce “revolutionary progress in bringing solar energy to its full potential in the energy marketplace.” The report resulted from a workshop of 200 scientists held earlier this year. The report notes that progress in the proposed research… Continue reading U.S. Dept of Energy calls for artificial molecular machines
Jerry Glenn, Director of the Millennium Project sponsored by the American Council for the United Nations University, brings our attention to the 2005 State of the Future report, now available for ordering. He points out that the “Royal Society of Arts in London has just published a distillation, of the distillation, of the distillation of… Continue reading Nanotech's role in 15 Global Challenges
“How can nanotechnology help the development of fuel cell technology?” If you should know this — but don’t — check out VC Norm Wu’s column on the ExtremeNano site by Ziff Davis. Also covered: nano and solar cells, nanocatalysts, and hydrogen. The nano & energy story isn’t just about production: “Perhaps the broadest way in… Continue reading Mini-tutorial on nanotech for energy
UT Austin’s STS Program is sponsoring a Civic Forum on the Societal Implications of Nanotechnology: “This participatory civic event, the first large-scale nanotechnology event of its kind in the world, is designed to set standards for effective stakeholder engagement of nanotechnology’s societal opportunities and challenges.” The program includes 90 minutes of “Civic Participation in Nano… Continue reading First large-scale participatory event on nanotechnology
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
