From: Gina Miller (nanogirl@halcyon.com)
Date: Thu Feb 27 2003 - 20:37:59 MST
The Nanogirl News
February 27, 2003
NNI Gets 9.5 Percent Increase in Proposed Budget. The budget for fiscal year
2004 presented by President George W. Bush provides $847 million for the
National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI), a 9.5 percent increase over the
2003 budget. View the chart of the proposed budget here: (Nanotech Planet
2/5/03)
http://www.nanoelectronicsplanet.com/nanochannels/funding/article/0,4028,104
99_1579841,00.html
Or view the PDF from the National Nanotechnology Initiative website:
http://www.nano.gov/fy2004_budget_ostp03_0204.pdf
Optical trap provides new insights into motor molecules - nature`s ultimate
nanomachines. When it comes to nanotechnology, many researchers turn to
nature for inspiration. Of particular interest to nanoengineers is the
naturally occurring protein kinesin. If kinesin-like nanodevices are to
become reality, researchers first need to solve a fundamental mystery about
how kinesin moves. A new laser microscope designed at Stanford University is
providing new clues. (Stanford University news 2/25/03)
http://www.stanford.edu/dept/news/pr/03/tweezers226.html
New crystals may shape better nanotech. Taking a cue from a starfishlike
marine creature, scientists at Bell Labs have created what they say are
high-quality crystals that may one day help improve communications networks
and nano-devices. (zdnet/cnet 2/21/03)
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1103-985534.html
Or see StockHouse USA:
http://www.stockhouse.com/news/news.asp?tick=LU&newsid=1533911er
Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and the University of
Sheffield report in the Feb. 21 issue of Science that they have created
tree-like molecules that assemble themselves into precisely structured
building blocks of a quarter-million atoms. Such building blocks may be
precursors to designing nanostructures for molecular electronics or
photonics materials, which "steer" light in the same way computer chips
steer electrons. (Newswise/Scinews 2/21/03)
http://www.newswise.com/articles/2003/2/PERCEC.NSF.html
Researchers Develop 'Natural Bandages' That Mimic Body's Healing Process.
With the same compound the body uses to clot blood, scientists at Virginia
Commonwealth University have created a nano-fiber mat that could eventually
become a "natural bandage." Spun from strands of fibrinogen 1,000 times
thinner than a human hair, the fabric could be placed on a wound and never
taken off - minimizing blood loss and encouraging the natural healing
process. (ScienceDaily 2/11/03)
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/02/030211072313.htm
Nanotech circuits could bud from brain's bane. Rogue proteins blamed for mad
cow disease could yet find a use - in tiny electrical wires, scientists
revealed this week in Denver. The proteins, called prions, are also thought
to cause the human brain disease variant Creutzfeld Jacob disease (vCJD)
when they wad together into tough, messy clumps.
(Nature Science Update 2/16/03)
http://www.nature.com/nsu/030210/030210-21.html
Tiny Battery May Power Next-Gen Gadgets. A radical new design that promises
to revamp and rewire a decades-old staple of electronics -- the battery --
may also be the elusive blueprint for powering so-called
"micro-electromechanical systems," or MEMS, futuristic devices no wider than
a human hair. No battery yet exists that will provide long-lasting power and
still fit inside devices this small," said Bruce Dunn, a materials science
professor from the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied
Science. "Our team of engineers and chemists are establishing the enabling
science for a new battery that represents a real paradigm shift," he told
NewsFactor. (Yahoo! News 2/21/03)
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nf/20030221/tc_nf/20819e:
Michigan Researchers Achieve Quantum Entanglement Of Three Electrons. The
quantum entanglement of three electrons, using an ultrafast optical pulse
and a quantum well of a magnetic semiconductor material, has been
demonstrated in a laboratory at the University of Michigan, marking another
step toward the realization of a practical quantum computer. While several
experiments in recent years have succeeded in entangling pairs of particles,
few researchers have managed to correlate three or more particles in a
predictable fashion. (Science Daily 2/27/03)
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/02/030227071834.htm
Nanotechnology: The Shape of Tomorrow... Oak Ridge National Laboratory's
Dave Geohegan, Alex Puretzky and Ilia Ivanov are using laser ablation and
vapor deposition techniques to grow nanotubes up to millimeters long. They
also are developing ways to align them in polymers for new generations of
materials. The challenge now is to gain a better understanding of the tubes'
chemistry and how they grow so scientists can optimize the process.
(Oak Ridge National Laboratory Feb.. 2003)
http://www.ornl.gov/news/cco/storytip.htm
NanoMuscle eyes a giant market. What do cars and toys have in common? Very
little, except for a device the size of a paper clip that is wedging its way
into both markets. The device comes from Antioch-based NanoMuscle Inc. - a
little company that is making a big name for itself. This week at the
American International Toy Fair in New York City, the first consumer product
using NanoMuscle's technology hit the market. Hong Kong-based Playmates Toys
unveiled Baby Bright Eyes, a doll with eyes powered by NanoMuscle's tiny
actuator that open and close and move slowly, as if gazing around her
environs..."What they don't realize is this Christmas, their children will
be playing with it, and in 2005, cars will be driving with nanotechnology,"
MacGregor said. (East Bay bizjournals 2/21/03)
http://www.bizjournals.com/eastbay/stories/2003/02/24/story6.html
Connecticut is poised to become the nanotechnology capital of the world,
maker of novel materials, wonder drugs, super fuel cells and many more
miracles of the 21st century. So believe the invitation-only members of a
new organization called the Connecticut Nanotechnology Initiative, which met
for the first time over the weekend at Yale University. The provost of Yale
and the chancellor of the University of Connecticut gathered with Lt. Gov.
M. Jodi Rell, entrepreneurs, policy makers and some of the top
nanotechnology scientists in the world. (New Haven Register.com 2/24/03)
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=7158067&BRD=1281&PAG=461&dept_id=3˜¾
1007&rfi=6
Nanotech to pave way for micro-machines. Disposable satellite transmitters,
inexpensive medical testing equipment and sensors for automatically tracking
inventory or traffic patterns will become possible over the next 10 years
through developments in nanotechnology, speakers at the Nanotech 2003
conference said Monday. (ZDnet 2/25/03)
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1103-985770.html
Nanowires approach the quantum realm. Scientists at the City University of
Hong Kong have fabricated the smallest silicon nanowires ever. Shuit-Tong
Lee and colleagues believe that such wires - which have diameters
approaching 1 nanometre - could be used to make UV light-emitting diodes,
transistors and lasers (D D Ma et al. 2003 Sciencexpress to be published)
(PhysicsWeb 2/20/03)
http://physicsweb.org/article/news/7/2/9
The so-called 'nanoforum' consortium supported by the European Union has
launched a pan-European Internet portal for nanotechnology research at
http://www.nanoforum.org . By providing an exhaustive source of information,
the site aims to help European nanotechnology experts work together and make
faster progress. It is also designed to give less developed countries in
Europe better access to cutting edge innovations in the field and encourage
young scientists to publish their results. (Newsfox 2/25/03)
http://www.pressetext.com/pte.mc?pte=030225028
Diatomists shell out on nanotechnology. It's unlikely that many
nanotechnologists are familiar with diatoms - a group of single-celled
shelled algae - but that could change following a world-first conference on
diatom nanotechnology that's set to take place in the US in October. Liz
Kalaugher spoke to conference organizer Richard Gordon of the University of
Manitoba, Canada, to find out more. (nanotechweb.org 2/03)
http://nanotechweb.org/articles/feature/2/2/2/1
Pacific Nanotechnology Brings 'Developer's Corner' Resource to Customers.
AFM Users Can Stay Abreast of Application Options Available and Submit Their
Own Ideas and Requests Regarding AFM Imaging Problems or Solutions. Pacific
Nanotechnology, Inc. (PNI), the global leader in high-performance,
easy-to-use, and affordable atomic force microscopes (AFMs), has added a
Pacific Nanotechnology "Developer's Corner" feature to its Web site at
http://www.pacificnanotech.com. The Developer's Corner is a resource for
Pacific Nanotechnology customers that have modified or would like to
customize a PNI product for a specific application. (Prn newswire 2/24/03)
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/02-24
-2003/0001896450&EDATE=
Carbon nanotubes may be magical molecular wands. Thousands of times thinner
than a human hair but hundreds of times stronger than steel, carbon
nanotubes could play an important role in the next wave of technological
innovation...That's where Jun Jiao comes in. Jiao, co-director of Portland
State University's Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, leads a team
that is devising ways to build custom-designed nanotubes. "We're trying to
create new procedures to synthesize carbon nanotubes in controlled ways, to
produce carbon nanotubes with controlled properties," said Jiao, whose 1997
Ph.D. thesis at the University of Arizona compared different ways of making
nanotubes. (Oregon Live 2/26/03)
http://www.oregonlive.com/science/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/science/10461784
8494540.xml
DNA strings along metal atoms. Researchers from the University of Tokyo and
the Institute for Molecular Science in Japan have used DNA to assemble
strings of up to five copper ions. The technique could have applications in
producing molecular magnets and wires. "One of the most important goals in
the field of inorganic chemistry is to control metal arrays spatially and
dynamically," Mitsuhiko Shionoya of the University of Tokyo told
nanotechweb.org. "DNA shows promise as the provider of a structural basis
for the bottom-up fabrication of inorganic and bio-organic molecular
devices." (nanotechweb.org 2/21/03)
http://nanotechweb.org/articles/news/2/2/10/1
Tiny Computing Machine Fueled By DNA; Device Awarded In Guinness World
Record For "Smallest Biological Computing Device". Fifty years after the
discovery of the structure of DNA, a new use has been found for this
celebrated molecule: fuel for molecular computation systems. The research,
conducted by scientists at the Weizmann Institute of Science, will appear in
this week's issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA
(PNAS). Whether plugged in or battery powered, computers need energy. Around
a year ago, Prof. Ehud Shapiro of the Weizmann Institute made international
headlines for devising a programmable molecular computing machine composed
of enzymes and DNA molecules. Now his team has made the device uniquely
frugal: the single DNA molecule that provides the computer with the input
data also provides all the necessary fuel. (Science Daily 2/27/03)
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/02/030227074409.htm
U-M launches ambitious exploration of inner space. A path-breaking
collaborative effort of University of Michigan researchers will attempt to
capture never-before-seen views of the chemical activity inside living cells
in real time and 3-D...The U-M team will be using synthetic nanoprobes small
enough to fit inside a cell without interrupting its normal functions to
measure the activity of crucial metal ions like zinc and copper as the cell
works. Sophisticated statistical modeling programs will be used to interpret
data that looks something like a swarm of fast-moving fruit flies zinging
around a bowl of fruit.
(University of Michigan 2/20/03)
http://www.umich.edu/news/Releases/2003/Feb03/r022003a.html
Pace-Setting Nanotubes May Power Micro-Devices. New measurements by an India
n physicist and his team support the idea that nanotubes -- cylindrical
carbon rolls no thicker than an atom -- may make good batteries for tiny
devices or even power pacemakers, dispensing with cumbersome power packs.
Submersed in a slow-flowing liquid, a dense bundle of nanotubes develops a
voltage that ranges up to 10 millivolts and increases with flow speed,
according to Ajay Sood and his colleagues at the Indian Institute of Science
in Bangalore. (Yahoo! News 2/27/03)
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nf/20030227/tc_nf/20867
Nanotech Research Center to Start. Officials broke ground Friday on what was
billed as the world's most advanced facility for atomic-level research. The
California NanoSystems Institute at the University of California, Los
Angeles will explore the power and potential of manipulating atoms to
engineer new materials and devices. "Nanotech may be one of the world's
smallest sciences, but it has the greatest potential," Gov. Gray Davis said
at the ceremony. (Yahoo! News 2/14/03)
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030214/ap_on_sc/nanotech£
_research_1
Photronics, MII devise first 'nano-imprint templates'. During the SPIE
Microlithography conference here, Photronics Inc. and Molecular Imprints
Inc. (MII) claimed to have demonstrated and built one of the world's first
masks--or templates--for nano-imprint lithography applications. (EE Times
2/26/03)
http://eetimes.com/semi/news/OEG20030226S0031
Canadian NanoBusiness Alliance News. The Canadian NanoBusiness Alliance and
key partners have expanded their effort to build a National Nanotechnology
Initiative (NNI) in Canada. As one of the world's only industrialized
countries without an NNI, Canadian industry is increasingly vulnerable to
miss out on the vast technological and economic opportunities developing
from nanotechnology. Canada's Nanotech SWAT Team was created last year to
prepare a position paper on the need for a Canada NNI by presenting the
viewpoints of various stakeholders in Canada. Some of Canada's foremost
nanotech business and regional leaders have been added to the SWAT team to
gain critical mass and industry representation.
(Nanotechnology Now 2/26/03)
http://nanotech-now.com/CNA-release-02262003.htm
Merkle resigns as Zyvex's nano theorist. Zyvex Corp. soon will be short a
nanotechnology theorist, but interested applicants need not apply. Nanotech
pioneer Ralph Merkle will step down from that post this week at Zyvex, a
Texas-based maker of tools and technologies for molecularly precise
manufacturing. He plans to pursue independent consulting and speaking about
nanotech, two of his main tasks since he joined Zyvex in 1999. (Small Times
2/25/03)
http://www.smalltimes.com/document_brief.cfm#brief_4
Gina "Nanogirl" Miller
Nanotechnology Industries
http://www.nanoindustries.com
Personal: http://www.nanogirl.com
Foresight Senior Associate http://www.foresight.org
Extropy member http://www.extropy.org
nanogirl@halcyon.com
"Nanotechnology: Solutions for the future."
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