X-Message-Number: 21592 From: "Gina Miller" <> Subject: The Nanogirl News~ Date: Sat, 12 Apr 2003 23:56:53 -0700 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&T 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 "Nanotechnology: Solutions for the future." Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=21592