Category: Research

from the "using-foresight-to-protect-the-environmental-future" dept.

The US Environmental Protection Agency is inviting applications for "Exploratory Research to Anticipate Future Environmental Issues" covering:

1. Exploratory Research in Nanotechnogy
2. Futures Research in Natural Sciences
3. Futures Research in Socio-Economics

The nanotech part encourages a range of MNT-type ideas, natural science futures hopes for novel solutions, while the socio-economic part requests fairly conventional trend analysis. Closing date for the Nanotechnogy Program ($5m available) is June 18, 2001. Read More for a quote from the nanotech RFA.

from the redefining-"fluid" dept.
A Georgia Tech press release at EurekAlert describes work by Feynman Prizewinner Uzi Landman: "Landman's research group has reported on the tendency of lubricant molecules such as hexadecane and other molecular fluids to form highly ordered layers in planes parallel to the motion of the confining surfaces. On size scales that approximate multiples of the molecular width, these layered lubricants appear to increase their viscosity, 'becoming, at equilibrium and at various stages of the sliding motion, liquid-like in the plane parallel to the sliding surfaces and solid-like in the direction perpendicular to the surfaces,' Landman said…'We must find clever ways to harness and control these new behaviors in order to realize the opportunities in nanotechnology." " CP: While we do need to know about fluids at nanoscales, do nanomachines need "lubrication" per se?

from the clearly-explained dept.
The free email newsletter TNT Weekly points out a good piece in Mechanical Engineering magazine on Hybrid NEMS, covering the work of Carlo Montemagno and Alex Zettl on molecular motors and bearings. TNT says: "This article is not just another rehashing of the same material but gives more technical detail on the biomolecular motor work than we've seen in any review so far, and in a pretty accessible way. The other researcher puts across his view that we will probably eventually create machines based upon what we've learned from the biological ones rather than using the biological ones directly."

from the onwards-to-the-brain dept.
Senior Associate Charles Vollum writes "Looks like there is good news for cryonics in this BBC article. The story states that 'Frozen human ovary tissue – a potential fertility lifeline for hundreds of UK women – has been successfully thawed and revived in mice.' " Another excerpt: "Dr Debra Gook, who led the team at the city's Royal Women's Hospital, said: 'Our study is the first to confirm normal growth and development of human follicles. The high rate of functional preservation of follicles following cryopreservation also suggests that cryopreservation of ovarian tissues has real potential for clinical application.' "

from the it-works! dept.
In a Feb 9, 2001 item in Science entitled "The Real Power of Artificial Markets" (subscription req'd), it is reported that: "Assessing the probabilities of future events is a problem often faced by science policymakers…At the Foresight Exchange (FX) Web site (http://www.ideosphere.com/), traders can actually bet on the outcomes of unresolved scientific questions…But can we place legitimate credence on the accuracy of FX prices, which are determined solely through competition in a play-money market game? To an extent, yes. We find that FX prices strongly correlate with observed outcome frequencies." Bravo to all at FX and to Robin Hanson, Idea Futures originator. Play for *real* money online at the Foresight Senior Associates idea futures market — just think how accurate it will be. We hope to trade in person at the upcoming Gathering.

from the bravo dept.
Biologist Steven Smith, who spoke at the '97 Foresight Conference, has some new work published in Nano Letters : "A Self-Assembling Nanoscale Camshaft: Implications for Nanoscale Materials and Devices Constructed from Proteins and Nucleic Acids". See the illustration, the abstract, and the full paper. Excerpt: "These experiments coupled with the construction of the nanoscale camshaft described above clearly demonstrate that two- and three-address macromolecular assemblies carrying fusion proteins can be produced using the biospecificity of the DNA methyltransferases. With this capacity, it is now possible to consider the construction of materials that self-assemble into two-dimensional and three-dimensional macromolecular arrays."

from the there's-nothing-small-about-nanotechnology dept.
NIH has put out a call for unusually large, longer-term, and team-oriented applications for Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) projects on nanotechnologies useful to biomedicine. "Partners to the small businesses may play important roles in these projects and may receive appropriate support for their efforts…it should be possible to arrange individual atoms and molecules in space with great precision, leading to the fabrication of truly smart biosensors…the properties of DNA to undergo highly controlled and hierarchical assembly makes it ideal for applications in nanotechnology such as molecular sieves, or scaffolds for the assembly of molecular electronic components. Likewise, eukaryotic rotary motors based on ATPase could be employed as generic engines driving other nanodevices for purposes such as highly directed delivery of drugs or other agents…Nanotechnology promises scientific and commercial opportunities that are virtually unimaginable at this time." And individuals can be paid well: "Because the resources required for nanoengineering are relatively scarce, highly specialized, and multidisciplinary, the total amount of consultant costs and contractual costs requested by applicants may exceed the statutory guidelines."

from the matter-waves-for-nanofab dept.
Michael Mehrle writes "Found this on Slashdot: Nonlinear Atom Optics uses laser light to cool atoms to one millionth a degree Kelvin…. Atom lasers could lead to advances in, among other things, Nanolithography and Holography. Cool. Literally."This was earlier noted on Memepool on Thursday February 15. The University of Arizona press release Atom Optics Technologies Could Be Phenomenal quotes Pierre Meystre saying "More practical atom lasers could lead to applications in precision nanofabrication, atom holography, and "undreamed of applications that will come as surprises."

Read more for more quotes from the press release.

from the no-more-gels dept.
Vik writes "Researchers at Cornell have been using the behaviour of uncoiling DNA to sort and count individual molecules as they pass through a micrometer-wide channel according to this link on Eurekalert. The article describes how nanopores can be used to sort DNA segments much like electrophoresis."