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Gaming the Future: The Book!

Debate on U.S. ban on human cloning intensifies

Gina Miller writes "In Dispute Over Cloning Experiments Intensifies, The New York Times reported on the debate in the Senate, as of March 6, 2002, on a proposal to ban all human cloning, including therapeutic cloning (also called 'somatic cell nuclear transfer', or SCNT), in which nearly microscopic balls of a few hundred cells are produced to provide stem cells for medical treatments that might cure diseases that are today incurable. The total ban has already been passed by the House and is being pushed by Pres. Bush. Actor Christopher Reeve argued passionately that therapeutic cloning should go forward because '…we have a moral responsibility to help others. Time is absolutely critical.' Supporting Mr. Reeve was Nobel laureate molecular biologist Paul Berg and Jerry Zucker, a movie producer who hopes that therapeutic cloning will provide a cure for the diabetes his daughter suffers from. Proponents of a ban railed against 'human embryo hatcheries.' United Press International Opposition grows to total ban on cloning provides additional detail about the same Senate testimony, quoting Reeve 'I'm here today because I'm very concerned we're about to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory … It is amazing to me that we have to be here today, because it's so clear that embryonic stem cells … are a miracle that could be available to us, yet there's a fear factor in this country that's really very disturbing to watch.'

A month later, as reported by Reuters on April 10 (Bush Backs Ban of All Human Cloning) and by The New York Times on April 11, 2002 (Bush Makes Fervent Bid to Get Senate to Ban Cloning Research) Bush urged the Senate to pass the bill outlawing all forms of cloning. A counter plea from 40 Nobel laureate scientists urged support of legislation that would allow therapeutic cloning."

Read more for an extensive set of links to background pieces on the developing debate over human cloning.

Singularity Institute releases 'Levels of Organization'

Eliezer Yudkowsky writes "The Singularity Institute has released a draft of the paper "Levels of Organization in General Intelligence", to appear as a chapter in "Real AI: New Approaches to Artificial General Intelligence" (Goertzel and Pennachin, eds., forthcoming). A flat-file version is available (382K).

Everyone has been patiently waiting for science to cough up a general theory of intelligence. This paper contains the Singularity Institute's shot at the problem. The paper's goals are to describe intelligence as a complex supersystem of interdependent, internally specialized subsystems; to structure our understanding of cognition using levels of functional organization; and to integrate our understanding of general intelligence with our understanding of neuroscience, cognitive psychology, and evolutionary theory. The final part of the paper also includes a discussion of recursive self-improvement and seed AI."

Europeans establish Nanobusiness Association

from the nanocommerce dept.
An article on the Small Times website ("New European association will try to move nano from the lab to market", by Genevieve Oger, 17 April 2002) reports on the establishment of the European Nanobusiness Association (ENA), a group meant to advance Europeís role in nanotechnology, and encourage the emerging nanotech economy in Europe. ìOur end goal is the commercialization of nanotechnology in Europe,î said Tim Harper, chief executive of the nanotechnology consulting group CMP Cientifica and the new associationís executive director. ìHow do we make sure that good European research in this area doesnít end up getting exploited in the United States or in the Far East?î

According to the article, îThe associationís key objective is to act as a matchmaker of sorts, or at least an introduction service. The idea is to connect nanotechnology researchers with industry types who have the know-how and business sense to turn ideas and scientific discoveries into viable businesses. Underlying the venture is an oft-repeated criticism about Europeís innovation track record. Despite its top-notch facilities and research, Europe is seen as having difficulty translating its scientific and technical prowess into commercial successes.î

Harperís comments about making sure good European research doesnít end up getting exploited in the U.S. or Far East notwithstanding (though presumably he would not be opposed to it being marketed in those regions?), the new ENBA has formal ties to the U.S.-based NanoBusiness Alliance (NBA) in the United States and the Asia-Pacific Nanotechnology Forum (APNF). The European association has partnered with both. Mark Modzelewski, the founder and executive director of the NanoBusiness Alliance, also sits on the advisory board of the new European group.

Article in Winston-Salem Journal provides a few choice bits

A lengthy article in the Winston-Salem (North Carolina) Journal ("Small Miracles: Micromachines are being developed that may offer mankind great benefits – or threaten its very existence", by Kevin Begos, 14 April 2002) rehashes much of the mass media shorthand on nanotech weíve seen so often before: "Many researchers, government officials and venture capitalists are saying that over the next few decades, the effect of such inventions on society may dwarf what has happened in the computer or telecommunications revolutions. Skeptics see a dark side to such a future. Humans may well be able to make such products, they say — but may not be able to control them after they're unleashed on the world." We get warmed-over visions of advanced nanotech applications, Bill Joyís worries over human obsolescence, government funding, venture capitalists ñ the usual stew.

Read more for some of the more interesting bits.

Molecular Electronics Corp. secures additional angel financing

The 19 April 2002 version of Jennifer Darwinís Technology Beat column in the Houston Business Journal includes this brief item:

The original investors in Molecular Electronics Corp. (MEC) have pumped additional money into the Houston-based nanotechnology company.
Company officials made that announcement two weeks ago, but did not disclose who the angel investors are, nor how much they provided in bridge financing.
This same group of investors put up $7.65 million to help launch the company in 1999. Since that time, Molecular Electronics also has received $23 million in funding directed toward its research work.
The company was created by five scientists, including Jim Tour and Mark Reed. The firm's research and development in nanometer-scale electronics creates the potential for constructing electronic devices and information processing capabilities that are far less expensive, consume less power and are thousands of times smaller per device than existing technologies.
Timothy Belton, Molecular Electronics' president and chief development officer, says the proceeds will be used to strengthen industry relationships that will help with development of the company's devices.

For background information on MEC, see Foresight Update issues #41 (June 2000) and #42 (September 2000).

UTD NanoTech Institute trumpets DARPA funding

According to a press release (16 April 2002), the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) has begun ramping up its nanotechnology research efforts at the UTD NanoTech Institute established last year, on news that it won two grants worth a total of $1.8 million in initial annual funding from the United States Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The projects being funded will involve collaboration among researchers at UTD, as well as at major universities and research institutes throughout the U.S. and in other countries.

Additional coverage, though not much, is available in an article from the Dallas Business Journal ("UTD NanoTech Institute gets $1.8M in grants", 15 April 2002), which basically reprinted the UTD press release with a few additional details thrown in. "This is leading-edge science and precisely what we had in mind when we brought two of the top nanotechnology experts in the world to UTD last fall," Franklyn Jenifer, president of UTD, said in a statement. "Now that the UTD NanoTech Institute is up and running, the university is in a position to begin playing a pivotal role in helping realize the potential of nanotechnology."

Pennsylvania establishes yet another organization to support nanotech

from the death-by-committeee dept.
An article in the Philadelphia Business Journal ("Coalition aims to aid startups", by Peter Key, 29 March 2002) tells of yet another organization aimed at fostering economic development being established in Pennsylvania. According to the article, "five Philadelphia universities, a business incubator and an economic development organization have joined forces to boost the number of technology and life-science startups in the region. Called the Commercialization Working Group, its first task will be to help the Port of Technology incubator in University City bring technological innovations to market." One of the efforts to be supported is the Nanotechnology Institute, a venture among the University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University and the Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania, a state-funded economic development organization. An official said the timing for the group is right because it comes after smaller efforts by the region's schools and tech organizations to work together, such as the Nanotechnology Institute.

Well, maybe. For all the organizational dithering over the past year or two, Pennsylvania hasnít yet got much real results to show from its nanotechnology programs (see Nanodot posts from 30 July and 17 December 2001, and 9 November 2000.

CVD process tames carbon nanotube growth

waynerad writes "A chemical-vapor deposition technique has been applied to carbon nanotubes to give them unusual electronic properties, according to researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The treated nanotubes could be used by chip makers to interconnect single-electron transistors with high-efficiency wires. The group aims to build a nanotube architecture that will exhibit near-superconducting speeds at room temperature, plus the ability to pack devices tighter and control quantum effects."

Nanotech and Solar Power

Mr. Tejano writes "Space Daily has a great article about a group of researchers at Virginia Tech that are developing flexible solar cells [using nano-structured thin films] that they hope will replace their silicon equivalents. It can be read here: http://spacedaily.com/news/materials-02i.html"

Upcoming speaking engagements by nanotechnologist Ralph Merkle

Ralph Merkle, Foresight Vice President for Technology Assessment and Principal Fellow at Zyvex Corporation, will be speaking at the following upcoming events:

May 9, 2002 (Rockville, Maryland): Merkle will speak on "Nanotechnology and replicating manufacturing systems" at the TIGR Distinguished Lecture Series: Defining the Boundaries of 21st Century Science.
May 15, 2002 (San Jose, CA): Merkle will give a keynote address on "Nanotechnology: Near And Long Term Possibilities" at the Nanotech Planet Spring 2002 Conference and Expo.

Gaming the Future: The Book!

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