From: Gina Miller (nanogirl@halcyon.com)
Date: Sun Apr 13 2003 - 00:56:53 MDT
The Nanogirl News
April 12, 2003
Defense Department expands nanotechnology research. Nanoscale materials and
components, including some of the tiniest products ever manufactured, have
already found their way into communications systems and weapons being used
in the war with Iraq. But the role of nanotechnology is still so limited
that the Iraq war will more likely be remembered as the last to be fought
without its benefits than the first that fully deployed it. (SiliconValley
4/8/03)
http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/5585217.htm
Electrifying claims for DNA are dashed. Can DNA conduct electricity? Some
physicists claim it is a superconductor. Others believe it does not conduct
electricity at all. And biologists have agonized about how conductivity
might affect its function. A consensus is emerging. Although the much-hyped
molecule can transport electrons over a length of a few base pairs, allowing
it to deflect oxidative damage away from important sections (New Scientist
print edition, 15 March), it fails to conduct over longer distances. That
will dash long-held hopes that the self-replicating molecule could be
harnessed to make self-assembling nanowires. Researchers from the University
of California, Los Angeles, have hammered the final nail in the coffin with
an exhaustive paper submitted to Physical Review Letters. (NewScientist
3/30/03)
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99993548
Don't miss this webcast of Chris Peterson and Ray Kurzweil nanotech
testimonies at the House Science Committee. Full Science Committee Hearing
on The Societal Implications of Nanotechnology. (House Committee on Science
4/9/03) http://www.house.gov/science/webcast/index.htm
$1 billion places U.S. on nanoroad. The race for the high ground in
nanotechnology development and applications is heating as U.S. government
efforts gain momentum, funding and direction. Legislation promoting
nanotechnology development in electronics, energy and medicine has been
introduced in both the House and Senate. At the same time, government
science and technology agencies are working to funnel federal funds to the
right programs, as industry and universities gear up to move promising
technologies like carbon nanotubes from the laboratory to market. Congress
approved $849 million for nanotechnology research and development in fiscal
2003. "We're rapidly heading toward a $1 billion program," said Richard
Russell of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. "Now's
the time to shape the program."
(EETimes 3/27/03)
http://www.eet.com/at/lae/news/OEG20030327S0033
Carnegie Mellon University research story ideas on DNA. Carnegie Mellon
University is advancing DNA research in many critical domains. These include
computational molecular biology approaches to piece gene sequence data
together in meaningful ways that account for and reduce error; creating
groundbreaking approaches to elucidate and integrate different kinds of
proteomics data to paint a complete picture of cell protein dynamics to aid
disease diagnosis and drug discovery; and using DNA in radically new ways,
such as nanotech devices, protein probes and biosensors. (Eurekalert
4/11/03)
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2003-04/cmu-cmu041103.php
Go-go Atoms Give Heat the Shake. Like so many go-go dancers gyrating in
their cages, atoms in the nooks of a metallic crystal shake independently,
physicists report in the 4 April PRL. The randomly rattling atoms deflect
heat-carrying vibrations, and the observation could lead to new materials
that cool by carrying a current, or that convert heat into electricity.
(Physical Review Focus 4/3/03)
http://focus.aps.org/story/v11/st13
More Efficient and Reliable Refrigerators and Air Conditioners a Step Closer
to Reality. Scientists have created the world's first working device that
uses nanometer-scale materials to convert electric power into cooling or
heating, or heat into electricity. (Eurekalert 3/24/03)
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2003-03/acs-mea031103.php
UC Riverside Researchers' Discovery Of Electrostatic Spin Topples
Century-old Theory. In a discovery that is likely to impact fields as
diverse as atomic physics, chemistry and nanotechnology, researchers have
identified a new physical phenomenon, electrostatic rotation, that, in the
absence of friction, leads to spin. Because the electric force is one of the
fundamental forces of nature, this leap forward in understanding may help
reveal how the smallest building blocks in nature react to form solids,
liquids and gases that constitute the material world around us.
(ScienceDaily 4/2/03)
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/04/030403072949.htm
Argonne researchers use electric field to manipulate tiny particles.
Intricate patterns formed by granular materials under the influence of
electrostatic fields have scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's
Argonne National Laboratory dreaming of new ways to create smaller
structures for nanotechnologies. With a combination of electric fields and
fluid mixtures, researchers Igor Aronson, Maksim Sapozhnikov, Yuri Tolmachev
and Wai Kwok can cause tiny spheres of bronze and other metals to
self-assemble into crystalline patterns, honeycombs, pulsating rings and
bizarre two-lobed structures that whirl like tiny propellers. Such
self-assembling behavior could be exploited to create the next generation
nanostructures or tiny micromechanical devices. (3/35/03)
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2003-03/dnl-aru032503.php
Experimental stress determination increases accuracy in microelectronics.
With the advent of nanotechnology, miniature devices are increasingly
becoming more popular and industries are continuously searching to improve
techniques for achieving higher performance. Towards this aim, this EC
funded project designed a new experimental method for determination of local
strains with the aid of X-ray microdiffraction. The new method is expected
to bring significant advances in crystalline structures that are used in a
wide range of applications from microelectronics to bio- and engineering
materials.
(Cordis 3/31/03)
http://dbs.cordis.lu/fep-cgi/srchidadb?ACTION=D&SESSION=30312003-4-1&DOC=3&Tāļ
BL=EN_OFFR&RCN=EN_RCN:975&CALLER=OFFR_O_SCIE_EN
Molecular might. Nanotech 'battle suits' could amplify soldiers' powers. As
hollow-eyed troops laden with 75-pound packs slogged through a downpour
before shipping out to Kuwait, nine MIT professors watching them in the
rural Louisiana training field were asking questions like: How could those
loads be made lighter? And what about making the soldiers impervious to
infection? Invulnerable to bullets? Able to leap small buildings in a single
bound? For these self-described "crazy MIT guys," those questions are not
wild geek imaginings inspired by some superhero comic. It's their job. The
professors who visited the Fort Polk training center in January are at the
vanguard of a military initiative to harness the potential of the emerging
field of nanotechnology. (SFGate 4/7/03)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/04/07
/BU305865.DTL&type=tech
Prions Offer Nanotech Building Tool. The same characteristics that make
misfolded proteins known as prions such a pernicious medical threat in
neurodegenerative diseases may offer a construction toolkit for
manufacturing nanoscale electrical circuits, researchers report this week in
the online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
(Whitehead Institute 3/31/03)
http://www.wi.mit.edu/nap/features/nap_feature_nanowire2.html
Nano-scientists win research grants. Nanotechnology scientists at the
University of Texas at Dallas have won two federal research grants totaling
more than $500,000, university officials announced. The largest is a
three-year, $460,000 grant from the United States Air Force Office of
Scientific Research to Anvar A. Zakhidov, professor of physics and associate
director of the UTD NanoTech Institute; John P. Ferraris, professor of
chemistry and head of the department; and Kenneth J. Balkus Jr., professor
of chemistry. (Bizjournals 4/4/03)
http://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/stories/2003/03/31/daily56.html
Scientists 'cast' single-crystal nanotubes. Researchers from the University
of California, Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in the US
have developed an "epitaxial casting" technique to grow single-crystal
nanotubes of gallium nitride (GaN). The method employs zinc oxide (ZnO)
nanowires as templates. (nanotechweb.org 4/10/03)
http://nanotechweb.org/articles/news/2/4/6/1
(Japan) Top patent attorney pursuing new policy. As companies pursue
technological progress and develop value-added products, patent attorneys
must keep up with the advances and meet the demands of corporate customers,
according to Sumiko Shimosaka, new president of the Japan Patent Attorneys
Association. Sumiko Shimosaka, president of the Japan Patent Attorneys
Association, discusses her group's increasing role at its headquarters in
Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo. "We want to respond to corporate needs by sending out
patent attorneys who can cope with rapidly advancing technology and cover
new fields, such as nanotechnology and biotechnology," she said. (The Japan
Times 4/5/03)
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20030405b2.htm
Business leaders: Silicon Valley may lose its edge. San Jose, Calif.,
business leaders warned Monday that the Silicon Valley -- the Austin area's
bigger high tech cousin -- is in danger of losing its competitive edge from
cuts in education spending, regulation of broadband and rising workers'
compensation costs...The next 10 to 15 years could bring another boom to
Silicon Valley thanks to the nanotechnology sector, says Bill Coleman,
founder and chief customer advocate of BEA Systems Inc. [Nasdaq: BEAS], a
San Jose software company. But Coleman cautions much of that development
could move to Asia if the Valley doesn't place a higher emphasis on
education, affordable housing and transportation. (Bizjournals 4/7/03)
http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/stories/2003/04/07/daily11.html
Lobbyists make first trip to D.C....The core agenda for the business
alliance group is focused in four major policy areas: Continuing the
authorization and appropriation process for deepening the Columbia River
channel. Securing authorization for key transportation projects such as an
Interstate MAX extension, adding commuter rail from Wilsonville to Beaverton
and creating a trade corridor on Interstate 5. Gaining federal backing for
an Oregon-based research center in nanotechnology and microdevices.
Identifying additional federal funds to support K-12 and higher education in
the state. The guest list is a who's who of Portland-area businesses, from
hospital and high-tech companies to banks and a bookstore. (4/9/03 The
Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/business/104988
949558580.xml
State makes nanotech list but could use more tech transfer, VC. Magazine
rankings should be taken with a grain of salt. But when Illinois goes from
ho-hum status to No. 8 on a Top 10 list, it's worth a look. The state's
strong showing in the rankings of SmallTimes magazine's nanotech and
microtech "hot spots" is due in part to the Chicago City Council's $1
million tax-increment financing incentive for start-up firm NanoInk.
(Chicago Sun-Times 4/9/03)
http://www.suntimes.com/output/zinescene/cst-fin-ecol09.html
Thoughts from a Hot Zone: Give Me a New Immune System. The SARS scare in
Toronto shows how bad a looming epidemic would be. There's little we can do
to prevent it, so bring on the nanobots. "Infectious agents will always be
present in the natural environment and their evolution into new forms will
continue for the foreseeable future," says Robert A. Freitas Jr., a
nanotechnology researcher and the author of Nanomedicine, a massive
compilation of nanotech solutions to health problems. "So microbes will
continue to attempt to colonize human bodies." What we need is a better
immune system. Fortunately, Freitas has designed one. (Betterhumans 4/7/03)
http://www.betterhumans.com/Features/Columns/Forward_Thinking/column.aspx?ar
ticleID=2003-04-07-1
Hong Kong advances industrialization of nanotech discoveries. Five of the 16
Hong Kong nanotechnology related research projects funded by government and
non-government sectors in the past five years have produced deliverables for
transfer to local industry for further development. Secretary for Commerce,
Industry and Technology of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
government Henry Tang said in a written reply at the Legislative Council
Wednesday that Hong Kong will continue with its effort in sustaining the
momentum and further enhancing HK's capability in applied research and
development in nanotechnology. (Xinhua News Agency 4/9/03)
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2003-04/09/content_824124.htm
Nanotubes of gallium nitride, not carbon, prove optically active; potential
use as sensors. As scientists rush to exploit new nano-structures to build
electronic circuits and sub-microscopic sensors, they also are trying to
make the building blocks more versatile. A UC Berkeley chemist has new
created nanotubes from gallium nitride, capturing the best attributes of
both semiconductor nanowires and carbon nanotubes. (Berkeley 4/9/03)
http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2003/04/09_tubes.shtml
Virginia Tech inventions, creations can improve lives. Patents were awarded
for power electronic improvements, including smaller power converters and
switches for hybrid fuel cell vehicles; materials and sensors, including a
sensor for surface friction in aircraft and a process for creating
nanomaterials; an improved method for dewatering fine coal during
processing; plant varieties, including wheat, a raspberry, and a peanut; a
livestock supplement that improves the immune system; and human health
inventions, including a correction for retinal detachment and a brucellosis
vaccine.(Eurekalert 4/11/03)
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2003-04/vt-vti041103.php
Carbon nanopipettes point the way. First there was the buckyball, then came
the nanotube, nanocone, nanohorn and even the microtree. Now, researchers at
the University of Louisville and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, US, have
added to the range of novel carbon nanostructures by growing carbon
nanopipettes. (nanotechweb 4/8/03)
http://nanotechweb.org/articles/news/2/4/5/1
Nanotechnology task force to aid traditional sectors. The Industrial
Technology Research Institute (ITRI) yesterday announced a task force to
promote the application of nanometer science, or nanotechnology, to the
country's traditional sectors. So far hundreds of companies have already
signed up for the task force, more than the 100-member space allowed during
its initial phase, said Yang Ri-chang, ITRI vice president. "The news of the
task force's formation has generated enthusiastic responses by Taiwan
companies," Yang said. "Meanwhile, the task force has invited the
participation of institutions such as National Taiwan Universities and
National Cheng Kung Universities that are known for their nanotech
research." (ChinaPost 4/12/03)
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/business/detail.asp?ID=36689&GRP=E
Taiwan scientists unveil sub-nano level high resolution laser measuring
system. Through a series of innovations in laser optoelectronics and
mechanical engineering, local scientists have unveiled a high performance
laser device that is said to be world's leading system for precision
measurement, capable of significantly improving resolution down to the
sub-nanometer level. (eTaiwanNews 4/12/03)
http://www.etaiwannews.com/Taiwan/2003/04/12/1050130302.htm
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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