X-Message-Number: 25457
From: "Gina Miller" <>
References: <>
Subject: The Nanogirl News~
Date: Fri, 31 Dec 2004 16:28:52 -0800

The Nanogirl News
December 31, 2004


Nanotubes form along atomic steps. The Weizmann Institute of Science today 
announced that a research group headed by Dr. Ernesto Joselevich has developed a
new approach to create patterns of carbon nanotubes by formation along atomic 
steps on sapphire surfaces. Carbon nanotubes are excellent candidates for the 
production of nanoelectronic circuits, but their assembly into ordered arrays 
remains a major obstacle toward this application. (Eurekalert 12/21/04) 
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-12/wi-nfa122104.php


Robert A.Freitas Jr. has his lecture in which he spoke at the Foresight 
conference available online. In his lecture material you can read about and view
images on his new and first of it's kind proposal, for building DMS tooltips 
using current technology, as disclosed in his Feb. 2004 provisional patent 
application. Stay tuned for more available material. 
http://www.molecularassembler.com/Papers/PathDiamMolMfg.htm


Red blood cells are go! Physicists in India have shown that red blood cells can 
transfer the angular momentum in a circularly polarized laser beam into 
rotational motion. The "motor" developed by Deepak Mathur and colleagues at the 
Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) in Mumbai could find use in a 
variety of applications, including biosensors and cellular micromachines (J A 
Dharmadhikari et al. 2004 Appl. Phys. Lett. 85 6048). (Physicsweb 12/14/04) 
http://physicsweb.org/articles/news/8/12/8/1


UCSB Scientists Build Nanoscale 'Jigsaw' Puzzles Made of RNA. Scientists at the 
University of California, Santa Barbara, working at the leading edge of 
bionanotechnology, are using assembly and folding principles of natural RNA, or 
ribonucleic acid, to build beautiful and potentially useful artificial 
structures at the nano-scale. Possible applications include the development of 
nanocircuits, medical implants, and improved medical testing. This research, 
published in the December 17 issue of the journal Science, is led by Luc Jaeger,
assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at UCSB and
a member of UCSB's Biomolecular Science and Engineering Program, and by 
Arkadiusz Chworos, a post-doctoral fellow studying in Jaeger's lab. (UCSB 
12/17/04) http://www.ia.ucsb.edu/pa/display.aspx?pkey=1225


Nanotechnology sensors could be a $17 billion market. In a new report, 
NanoMarkets LC predicts that the nanotechnology sensor market will generate 
global revenues of $2.8 billion in 2008 and by 2012 will reach $17.2 billion. 
The industry analyst focused on nanoelectronics sensors that are used to reduce 
size and cost to provide a high level of integration including platforms 
consisting of carbon nanotubes, nanowires, molectronics, spintronics and so 
called plastic electronics. Another area of attention in the report is directed 
to conventional sensors using nanomaterials and sensing material. (EETimes 
12/08/04) http://www.eetimes.com/at/showArticle.jhtml?articleId=55300380


'Fountain pen' etches with molecular ink. Scientists in the Netherlands have 
used a micromachined "fountain pen" to write and etch sub-micron patterns on a 
surface with molecular "ink". The new device developed by Miko Elwenspoek and 
colleagues at the University of Twente is based on an atomic force microscope (S
Deladi et al. 2004 Appl. Phys. Lett. 85 5361). (nanotechweb 12/13/04)
http://nanotechweb.org/articles/news/3/12/9/1


Artificial cells take shape. Bacterium-sized 'protein factories' are a step 
along the road to synthetic life. Primitive cells similar to bacteria have been 
created by US researchers. These synthetic cells are not truly alive, because 
they cannot replicate or evolve. But they can churn out proteins for days, and 
could be useful for drug production, as well as advancing the quest to build 
artificial life from scratch. (nature.com 12/6/04) 
http://www.nature.com/news/2004/041206/full/041206-2.html


In some of the first work documenting the uptake of carbon nanotubes by living 
cells, a team of chemists and life scientists from Rice University, the 
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and the Texas Heart 
Institute have selectively detected low concentrations of nanotubes in 
laboratory cell cultures. The research appears in the Dec. 8 issue of the 
Journal of the American Chemical Society. It suggests that the white blood 
cells, which were incubated in dilute solutions of nanotubes, treated the 
nanotubes as they would other extracellular particles - actively ingesting them 
and sealing them off inside chambers known as phagosomes. (Bio 12/9/04) 
http://www.bio.com/newsfeatures/newsfeatures_research.jhtml?cid=6500163


Tiny Crystals In Large Quantities Method produces monodisperse nanocrystals on 
multigram scale. Uniform-sized nanocrystals can be prepared in large batches 
through a new preparation method developed by researchers in South Korea. The 
technique may hasten development of future nanotechnology applications by 
providing a low-cost route to commercial quantities of uniform nanocrystals. 
Researchers working in nanometer-scale science have demonstrated a variety of 
devices that exploit unique optical, electronic, and other size-dependent 
properties of nanocrystals.
(C&E 12/6/04) http://pubs.acs.org/cen/news/8249/8249notw4.html


Team Engineers Cell-deforming Technique To Help Understand Malaria. Subra Suresh
has spent the last two decades studying the mechanical properties of engineered
materials from the atomic to the structural scale. So, until recently, the head
of MIT's Department of Materials Science and Engineering never thought he'd be 
a player in the hunt for cures to malaria and pancreatic cancer. (Sciencedaily 
12/30/04) http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/12/041219212955.htm


(Interview) Rebuilding Things "Atom by Atom". Nanoscience expert Chad Mirkin 
discusses the promise of supersmall materials, what breakthroughs are likely, 
and what's just hype. Chad Mirkin is a world leader in a field with potential 
that's near limitless: Nanotechnology. Governments, venture funds, and angel 
investors are pouring billions of dollars into the area, hoping that the ability
to manipulate materials at the atomic level will produce revolutionary 
medicines, metals, and fuels. Mirkin is director of Northwestern University's 
Institute for Nanotechnology, one of the field's research hot spots. He says 
while certain aspects of nano, such as a proliferation of nanosize robots, are 
overhyped, other breakthroughs are already happening. He recently talked from 
his Evanston (Ill.) office with BusinessWeek Senior Writer Stephen Baker. Edited
excerpts from their conversation follow:...(Businessweek 12/29/04) 
http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/dec2004/nf20041228_7625_db083.htm


Winning an Uphill Battle. It sounds as unlikely as toothpaste flowing back into 
the tube: A simple hole in a cell membrane can cause glycerol to flow "uphill," 
out of the cell, when the higher concentration outside would ordinarily make it 
flow the other way. Known as a channel protein, the molecular hatch acts like a 
ratchet to squeeze one glycerol molecule after another in the direction opposite
the concentration gradient, researchers calculate in the 3 December PRL. Cells 
may use this effect to avoid overdosing on glycerol. (Physicsweb 12/3/04) 
http://focus.aps.org/story/v14/st23


Suit that never gets dirty. Scientists have won a  1million grant to help 
develop clothes that never need cleaning. It will aid research into 
nano-technology, looking at the properties of fabrics down to atomic particles. 
And it could make the plot of the 1951 Ealing comedy The Man In The White Suit a
reality. In the film, scientist Sidney Stratton, played by Alec Guinness, 
invents a fabric that never gets dirty or wears out. Experiments The real 
experiments will be carried out by chemical giant Unilever. (Dailyrecord 
12/31/04) 


http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=15026874&method=full&siteid=89488&headline=suit-that-never-gets-dirty-name_page.html


Molecular motor goes both ways. University of Edinburgh researchers have 
constructed a molecular motor that can spin in either direction, much like the 
biological molecular motors involved in many of life's processes. The motor 
consists of a pair of interlocking rings; the smaller ring travels clockwise or 
counterclockwise around the larger ring depending on the order in which several 
chemical reactions are carried out on the molecule. (TRN 12/29/04) 
http://www.trnmag.com/Stories/2004/122904/Molecular_motor_goes_both_ways_Brief_122904.html


Simmons remakes bed with nano-enhanced fabric. In June, Nano-Tex Chief Executive
Donn Tice said his firm would pursue new markets like home furnishings. He 
recently made good on the promise with the unveiling of Simmons Bedding Co.'s 
new HealthSmart bed. The bed, which features a zip-off mattress top, is intended
to appeal to consumers who want a cleaner mattress. The mattress top is made of
two layers of fabric. On top are DuPont Coolmax fibers designed to wick away 
sweat and moisture. Under that is a semi-impervious layer of Nano-Tex-enhanced 
fabric that traps fluids and particles so they can be washed out. The mattress 
frame has a terry cloth top treated with Teflon for an extra layer of 
protection. (SmallTimes 12/22/04) 
http://www.smalltimes.com/document_display.cfm?document_id=8489


Smart Dust Advances in Russia. Smart Dust is going to be something really 
special. But not just yet. Like a toddler learning to walk by "furniture 
cruising," staggering wobbly from stationary object to object, Smart Dust is 
looking for its sea legs. The birth of Smart Dust potential was based on RFID 
(Radio Frequency Identification) and the journey toward full-on 
Distributed-Sensing Smart Dust-which is the goal for final evolution of this 
technology--will be a long and arduous one. (GatewaytoRussia 12/16/04) 
http://www.gateway2russia.com/st/art_260273.php


(Audio) Do Nanotech Products Live Up to the Hype? Nanotechnology is the science 
of designing materials, atom by atom. It promises revolutionary applications for
everything from the military to sports. NPR's David Kestenbaum investigates 
whether nanotech products already on the market are all they're cracked up to 
be. (NPR 12/31/04) http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4252587


Tight Twist Toughens Nano Fiber. Researchers from the University of Texas at 
Dallas and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization 
(CSIRO) in Australia have strengthened carbon nanotube yarn by introducing a 
tight twist as the nanotubes are spun. The method taps the secret of spinning 
discovered in the Late Stone Age: a tight twist produces a tough fiber. 

(Always On 12/14/04) 
http://www.alwayson-network.com/comments.php?id=7486_0_6_0_C


European researchers build prototype DNA 'velcro'. A team of German scientists 
has succeeded in creating what they call DNA 'velcro' to bind and then separate 
nanoparticles. Nanoscientists are already busily constructing novel materials. 
This experiment could lead, one day, to 'self-constructing' materials. Based at 
the University of Dortmund, Christof Niemeyer and his team used strands of 
artificial DNA - the so-called 'king of molecules' - to attach gold 
nanoparticles together before separating them again. Each gold particle, 
measuring just 15 nanometres across, was attached using sulphur to the centre of
a DNA strand. (Europa 12/14/04)
http://europa.eu.int/comm/research/headlines/news/article_04_12_14_en.html


Encapsulated Carbon Nanotubes for Implantable Biological Sensors to Monitor 
Blood Glucose Levels. Protein-encapsulated single-walled carbon nanotubes that 
alter their fluorescence in the presence of specific biomolecules could generate
many new types of implantable biological sensors, say researchers from the 
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign who developed the encapsulation 
technique. (A2ZNano 12/13/04) http://www.azonano.com/news.asp?newsID=439


Coated nanotubes make biosensors.  good sensor should be able to sense extremely
small changes and should be able to transmit this information about its 
environment consistently. Researchers working to make sensors that indicate a 
given chemical or biological agent after sensing only a few or even a single 
molecule of that substance are turning to the minuscule tools of nanotechnology.
Researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are using 
carbon nanotubes to sense single molecules, and are tapping the way carbon 
nanotubes give off near-infrared light in order to read what the sensors have 
detected. (TRN Dec/Jan 04) 
http://www.trnmag.com/Stories/2004/122904/Coated_nanotubes_make_biosensors_Brief_122904.html


Nanotechnology comes to golf balls. Sometime in 2005, start-up company 
NanoDynamics plans to sell a nanotech golf ball that promises to dramatically 
reduce hooks and slices for even the most frustrated of weekend golfers. That 
will be a hint of the future of sports. NanoDynamics says it's figured out how 
to alter the materials in a golf ball at the molecular level so the weight 
inside shifts less as the ball spins. The less it shifts, the straighter even a 
badly hit ball will go.

(iseekgolf.com 12/24/04) 
http://www.iseekgolf.com/view_articles.php/0/26/6192/4/52/0/1/


NanoSus working on nanofur. If humans ever gain the ability to crawl up walls 
like geckos, you can bet that it might have something to do with nanotechnology 
research. Creating an artificial version of the tiny fibers on geckos' toes is 
just one research project among many at Nanosys in Palo Alto. Even if the 
product, dubbed "nano fur," doesn't pan out in consumer products such as 
sneakers for walking up walls, Nanosys believes the technology will be an 
important tool for molecular researchers. (SmallTimes 12/28/04)
http://www.smalltimes.com/document_display.cfm?section_id=45&document_id=8539


Just How Old Can He Go? Ray Kurzweil began his dinner with a pill. "A starch 
blocker," he explained, "one of my 250 supplements a day." The risk of 
encountering starchy food seemed slight indeed at the vegetarian restaurant in 
Manhattan he had selected, where the fare was heavy with kale, seaweed, tofu, 
steamed broccoli and bean sprouts. But Mr. Kurzweil, a renowned inventor and 
computer scientist, has strong views on dietary matters. His regimen for 
longevity is not everyone's cup of tea (preferably green tea, Mr. Kurzweil 
advises, which contains extra antioxidants to reduce the risk of heart disease 
and cancer). And most people would scoff at his notion that emerging trends in 
medicine, biotechnology and nanotechnology open a realistic path to immortality 
- the central claim of a new book by Mr. Kurzweil and Dr. Terry Grossman, a 
physician and founder of a longevity clinic in Denver. (GoUpstate 12/27/04) 
http://www.goupstate.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20041227/ZNYT05/412270340/1027/OPINION

-Or here at CNet: 
http://news.com.com/Just+how+old+can+he+go/2100-7337_3-5504202.html

Happy New Year!

Gina "Nanogirl" Miller
Nanotechnology Industries
http://www.nanoindustries.com
Personal: http://www.nanogirl.com/index2.html
Foresight Senior Associate member http://www.foresight.org
Nanotechnology Advisor Extropy Institute  http://www.extropy.org
My New Project: Microscope Jewelry
http://www.nanogirl.com/crafts/microjewelry.htm
Email: 
"Nanotechnology: Solutions for the future."


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