X-Message-Number: 23016 From: "Gina Miller" <> Subject: The Nanogirl News~ Date: Thu, 4 Dec 2003 15:47:22 -0800 The Nanogirl News December 4, 2003 President Bush Signs Nanotechnology Research and Development Act. Today (Dec.3) at the White House, the President signed into law the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act, which authorizes funding for nanotechnology research and development (R&D) over four years, starting in FY 2005. This legislation puts into law programs and activities supported by the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI), one of the President's highest multi-agency R&D priorities. (THE WHITEHOUSE 12/3/03) http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/12/20031203-7.html -Here is the Presidents statement on this action (The White House 12/03): http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/12/20031203-12.html -Also see: Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Nano is President's Prefix of the day. Here you can download the PDF file of the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act. (12/3/03 SmallTimes) http://www.smalltimes.com/document_display.cfm?document_id=7035 (News related to the above Act.) The government says "no" to federally funded nanobots... Perhaps most interesting, though, is what the bill apparently does not fund: research into so-called molecular nanotechnology, a theoretical approach to nanotech that proposes the creation of "molecular assemblers," which could build complex products from molecular level up. It is this version of nanotech, promoted by nanotech guru Eric Drexler that often appears in science fiction, where trillions of tiny, self-replicating nanorobots can transform matter into just about anything. But most nanotech researchers-including Nobel laureate Richard Smalley, co-discoverer of carbon buckeyball molecules-are skeptical of this vision. The bill does allow a "one-time study to determine the technical feasibility of molecular self-assembly for the manufacture of materials and devices at the molecular scale." But self-assembly is not the same thing as self-replication, with the former being a proven chemical process being developed in nanotech labs. The original House version of the bill did contain an explicit passage that unmistakably referred to Drexlerian molecular manufacturing, including use of the phrase "self-replication." It appears that in substituting the word "assembly" for "replication," some savvy bill writer performed a bit of legislative jujitsu to leave Drexler's approach out in the cold. After all, why investigate the feasibility of self-assembly when it's already been proved possible? (USNews 12/2/03) http://www.usnews.com/usnews/nycu/tech/nextnews/nexthome.htm Experts debate the future of nanotechnology. Two giants in the field of nanotechnology face off in an exclusive point-counterpoint debate about the future of this burgeoning field of science in the Dec. 1 issue of Chemical & Engineering News (available online here: http://pubs.acs.org/cen/coverstory/8148/8148counterpoint.html), the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society. K. Eric Drexler, Ph.D., cofounder of the Foresight Institute in Palo Alto, Calif., and the person who coined the term "nanotechnology," and Richard E. Smalley, Ph.D., a professor at Rice University and winner of the 1996 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, debate a fundamental question of nanotechnology: Are "molecular assemblers" - devices capable of positioning atoms and molecules for precisely defined reactions in almost any environment - physically possible? (Eurekalert 12/2/03) http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2003-12/acs-dt120203.php Also see an Analysis of the above exchange written by Chris Phoenix, Director of Center for Responsible Nanotechnology (CRN). http://crnano.org/Debate.htm Nanoguitar Promises New Sensor And Electronics Applications. Six years ago Cornell University researchers built the world's smallest guitar - about the size of a red blood cell - to demonstrate the possibility of manufacturing tiny mechanical devices using techniques originally designed for building microelectronic circuits. Now, by "playing" a new, streamlined nanoguitar, Cornell physicists are demonstrating how such devices could substitute for electronic circuit components to make circuits smaller, cheaper and more energy-efficient. (SpaceDaily 11/19/03) http://www.spacedaily.com/news/nanotech-03zzk.html The Architecture of the Very Small (210 KB PDF). For nanostructured solids, it's not just the chemistry, it's the way they're put together. (Today's Chemist at Work Nov. 2003) http://pubs.acs.org/subscribe/journals/tcaw/12/i11/pdf/1103mcguire.pdf Nano research eyes ink jet-printed 'sheets' of circuits. NanoProducts Corp. lab researchers have begun work on nanoscale devices that may lead to the formation of "plastic" circuit elements and circuit "sheets" fabricated with ink jet printers within three years. The company's researchers have started the evolution toward such products by integrating nanoscale materials with existing micron-sized devices and composites, enhancing their performance and lowering their cost. (EETimes 11/20/03) http://www.eet.com/at/n/news/OEG20031120S0017 Nanotech instruments allow first direct observations of RNA 'proofreading'. When Ralph Waldo Emerson said that nature pardons no mistakes, he wasn't thinking about RNA polymerase (RNAP) - the versatile enzyme that copies genes from DNA onto strands of RNA, which then serve as templates for all of the proteins that make life possible. Emerson's comment notwithstanding, RNAP makes plenty of mistakes but also proofreads and corrects them before they have a chance to create abnormal proteins. (Eurekalert 11/25/03) http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2003-11/su-nia112503.php "Nano" in firm's name fuels stock's hefty gain. A growing fascination with nanotechnology seems to be doing wonders for the stock price of Nanometrics. Too bad the company's only connection with the hot field of molecular-scale machinery is the first four letters of its name and a stock ticker, NANO. But that, apparently, is enough to confuse some investors. (USAToday 12/4/03) http://www.usatoday.com/tech/techinvestor/techcorporatenews/2003-12-04-nano- nono_x.htm DuPont-led Scientists Unveil Key Nanotechnology Discovery with Use of DNA. Sorting Carbon Nanotubes Provides Significant Step in Advancing Nano-Electronics Applications. A collaborative group of DuPont-led scientists have discovered an innovative way to advance electronics applications through the use of DNA that sorts carbon nanotubes. This research in the emerging field of nanotechnology appears in the current issue of the journal Science, which is published by the AAAS - the world's largest general scientific organization. The research paper is titled " Structure-Based Carbon Nanotube Sorting by Sequence-Dependent DNA Assembly." (DuPont 12/2/03) http://www1.dupont.com/NASApp/dupontglobal/corp/index.jsp?page=/content/US/e n_US/news/releases/2003/nr12_02_03a.html Shares of Nanogen Inc. skyrocketed 61 percent after the company received a "Methods for the Electronic Assembly and Fabrication of Devices" patent from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the lead patent in a series of pending applications that will strengthen Nanogen's proprietary position in the nanotechnology and nanomanufacturing fields, the company said. (Pharmexec 12/4/03) http://www.pharmexec.com/pharmexec/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=77969 TNT Weekly: deletion of MNT study from nano bill is "a farce". Issue #13 of TNT Weekly (which will be archived here), the leading nanotech industry e-newsletter, covers the recent deletion of a molecular manufacturing study from the new U.S. nanotech legislation: " --The plot thickens and the nanotech bill gets sillier--Last week we had some fun with the recent nanotech bill in the US, especially the plan for a one-time study to determine the feasibility of making things using molecular self-assembly, which makes about as much sense as conducting a one-time study into the feasibility of sharpening a stick with a sharp knife. With a combination of cynicism and naivet , we assumed that the bill had got away from those who actually understood nanotech and ended up in the hands of politicians who didn't understand the difference between self-assembly and molecular assemblers, the result being a terminological boo-boo in the part that was meant to direct figuring out whether Drexlerian-style molecular nanotechnology (MNT) and molecular manufacturing are actually feasible. We were not alone. Quite a few people, it seemed, thought that the MNT crowd had been given the chance to make their case or forever hold their peace. Even the skeptics seemed to think this was fair dinkum." (Nanodot 12/3/03) http://nanodot.org/article.pl?sid=03/12/04/0216244 Scientists grow carbon nanofibres straight onto plastic. Researchers from the University of Cambridge, UK, have deposited carbon nanofibres directly onto plastic substrates using plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition. The arrays of fibres could have applications as field emitters in displays. (Nanotechweb 12/4/03) http://www.nanotechweb.org/articles/news/2/12/2/1 Kettering University Researchers Discover New Way to Produce Nanotubes. Nanotubes have thermal conductivity better than diamonds, electro-conductivity better than copper, and can withstand very high temperatures. Researchers at Kettering University have discovered a different method for producing nanotubes, which is one of the U.S. government's best-funded technology areas...The Kettering team's procedure for creating nanotubes is "actually a simpler way of doing it than had previously been done," said Bahram Roughani, associate professor of Applied Physics. Established methods include arc discharge, laser ablation or pulsed laser vaporization (PLV), chemical vapor deposition and gas phase processes, such as high-pressure carbon monoxide (HiPCO). (Kettering University 12/4/03) http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_vie w&newsId=20031204005092&newsLang=en Major nanotechnology hurdle not so worrisome, thanks to Indiana University chemistry discovery. According to the classic rules of physics, substances melt at a lower temperature when their sizes decrease. But scientists at Indiana University Bloomington have found that at least one substance, gallium, breaks the rules, remaining stable as a solid at temperatures as much as 400 degrees Fahrenheit above the element's normal melting point. Their report will be published in an upcoming issue of Physical Review Letters. The discovery gives hope to some nanotechnologists and "nanocomputer" engineers, who have been worried that components will behave unpredictably at smaller sizes, possibly even melting at room temperature. (innovations report 12/3/03) http://www.innovations-report.com/html/reports/life_sciences/report-23865.ht ml 'Stuffed' nanotubes could enable high-density storage. Researchers here have succeeded in loading carbon nanotubes with magnetic materials, an advance that could enable the use of the tiny cylinders for making extremely high-density data storage devices. (EETimes 11/25/03) http://www.eet.com/at/n/news/OEG20031125S0035 Robot Nation? A couple of columns ago, I wrote a piece called Kent Brockman on Unemployment, describing the impact of robots and automation on employment. In the comments section, someone posted a link to some things that the writer and founder of HowStuffWorks Marshall Brain has written. Brain thinks that we'll be losing jobs wholesale to robots in the very near future, long before things like nanotechnology have a chance to change the world: (TCS: Tech Central Station 12/3/03) http://www.techcentralstation.com/120303B.html Nanosensor smells the faintest scent. Nanostructures could detect a few molecules of perfume, says a Japanese researcher working on a cheaper way to make these structures using ultra thin films. Professor Toyoki Kunitake from the Japan Science and Technology Agency presented his research at an Australian nanotechnology conference at the University of Melbourne yesterday. The structures are very small, "one millionth of one millionth of a metre", Kunitake told ABC Science Online. (ABC Science Australia 12/3/03) http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/stories/s1001890.htm (Gaming) Codemasters Announce Perimeter. Codemasters today announced that it has picked up worldwide publishing rights to a groundbreaking new Real-Time Strategy (RTS), currently in development at 1C for the PC...Through nanotechnology players can transform units on the battlefield, giving scope for tactical opportunities to adapt combat units to a particular situation and keep up with any changes that occur during the battle. (TotalVideoGames 12/2/03) http://www.totalvideogames.com/?section=Read%20News&id=4207&gameid=3524&form at=000007 Nanotechnology center causing controversy. Nanotechnology has emerged as a controversial issue at UAlbany. A heated meeting by the UAlbany senate on the hot-button issue took place Monday night. All the controversy centers around Professor Richard Collier, because he presented a resolution questioning the development of the School of Nanosciences and Nanoengineering at the university. (Capital News 9 12/2/03) http://www.capitalnews9.com/content/headlines/?ArID=49847&SecID=33 (Movie-Review) Nanotechnology is one of the current hot topics in various fields of science and medicine. Essentially, the idea is that small machines can be made and programmed to perform a host of different tasks, sight unseen, with endless possibilities. Recent television shows, including Andromeda and Jake 2.0 explore some applications of such technology, albeit by greatly advancing what we can do today. A newly released OVA anime series, Zaion: I Wish You Were Here 1: Epidemic, explores the idea in another way, this time as a means to combat an alien virus. (DVD Talk 11/30/03) http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=8501 Technique allows scientists to fine-tune strength and conductivity of nanotube-laced materials. University of Pennsylvania researchers have developed a technique to customize nanotube-laced materials. While notoriously difficult to manipulate, nanotubes can provide added strength or conductivity to materials, depending on how the nanotubes are oriented. The Penn engineers have developed a production technique that permits a finer and more precise dispersion of nanotubes within a material. (Eurekalert 12/2/03) http://www.upenn.edu/pennnews/article.php?id=565 (Japan) How safe is nanotechnology? Although nanotechnology is said to have the potential to drastically alter 21st-century society, there must be a thorough assessment of the risks nanomaterials could pose to human health and the ecosystem. In October, expectations surged in the academic world that the Nobel Prize in Chemistry might be awarded to a Japanese researcher for the fourth consecutive year. Meijo University Prof. Sumio Iijima was considered the strongest among the Japanese candidates for the prize. This is because Iijima is known for his 1991 discovery of the carbon nanotube, an ultrafine carbon material measuring several thousandths of a human hair in diameter. Iijima's discovery sparked nanotechnology studies worldwide. (The Daily Yomiuri) http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/newse/20031128wo71.htm Intern makes huge impact on nanotechnology. Rob Sobelman thought researching the technique of creating carbon nanotubes would be boring. He ended up making a major scientific discovery...For his part, Rob discovered that heating to 1,000 degrees Celsius during the process of making carbon nanotubes not only produced significantly more of them, but it also made them longer and straighter - a major benefit in using the structures, such as in computers and transistors. (The Advocate 11/27/03) http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/local/state/hc-27121224.apds.m0382.bc-c t-fea--nov27,0,7857307.story?coll=hc-headlines-local-wire Seasons greetings, Gina "Nanogirl" Miller Nanotechnology Industries http://www.nanoindustries.com Personal: http://www.nanogirl.com Foresight Senior Associate http://www.foresight.org Nanotechnology Advisor Extropy Institute http://www.extropy.org Tech-Aid Advisor http://www.tech-aid.info/t/all-about.html "Nanotechnology: Solutions for the future." Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=23016