Following up on recent posts about concern in the insurance industry and in Congress about risk management practices for (current and near-term) nanotechnology, David Forrest passes along this news of recent action at EPA: The EPA has published their Interim Report on the Nanomaterials Stewardship Program and continues to invite comment for the final version.… Continue reading EPA encourages input to develop risk management practices for nanotechnology
The Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies, via AAAS EurekAlert, brings us an update on federal efforts to address the potential environmental, health and safety (EHS) risks posed by engineered nanomaterials. “New House bill addresses need for more risk research, oversight“: The House Science and Technology Committee [on January 15] introduced legislation that highlights the growing attention… Continue reading Nanotechnology oversight issues moving forward in Congress
A recent paper from Feynman Prize winner James Tour’s group at Rice relates an interesting new form of memory based on a bistable 2-terminal graphitic switch. Once developed, the switch could form the basis of a high-density non-volatile storage which might replace flash devices (which are already beginning to replace magnetic disks). Rice press release
The report concludes that nanotech products are coming to market without adequate tests for safety based upon the unique properties of the nanomaterials.
A recently released poll shows that the American public is largely uniformed about both nanotechnology and synthetic biology, and furthermore that the level of public awareness about nanotechnology has not changed since 2004.
Government-sponsored discussions of the implications for society of advanced nanotechnology and other emerging technologies have taken place and are ongoing in both the US and Europe. A recent Nanowerk Spotlight written by Michael Berger gives an update of deliberations in Europe and compares and contrasts the US and European approaches. From “Europe and the U.S.… Continue reading US and European approaches to advanced nanotechnology implications compared
The Center for Nanotechnology in Society at Arizona State University is one of two centers funded by the National Science Foundation to study nanotechnology in society. One of their tools for studying the impact of nanotech upon society is the National Citizens’ Technology Forum (NCTF). They have recently published the results of their National Citizens’… Continue reading US citizens weigh in on nanotechnology for human enhancement
From the conference report Setting an Agenda for the Social Studies of Nanotechnology (PDF): For example, researchers at Rice University have been working on the use of nanoparticles to absorb arsenic from drinking water supplies. Nanoscale iron oxide absorbs arsenic effi ciently, but in many countries implementing the process is either too expensive or technically… Continue reading Open source nanotechnology for clean water
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
Below are comments from nanotechnology experts on yesterday’s release of the Technology Roadmap for Productive Nanosystems, a new roadmap for development of atomically precise manufacturing from Battelle and Foresight: Jim Von Ehr, CEO, Zyvex Labs “For the first time, progress across all key nanoscale disciplines has been brought together into R&D pathways leading to atomically-precise… Continue reading Nanotechnology experts comment on Roadmap for atomically precise manufacturing
