X-Message-Number: 26341
From: "Gina Miller" <>
References: <>
Subject: The Nanogirl News~
Date: Thu, 16 Jun 2005 14:58:32 -0700

The Nanogirl News
June 16, 2005


Scientists unveil 'clay' robots that will shape our world. TINY robots that can 
turn into any shape - from a replica human to a banana to a mobile phone - are 
being developed by scientists in the United States. The new science of 
claytronics, which will use nanotechnology to create tiny robots called catoms, 
should enable three-dimensional copies of people to be "faxed" around the world 
for virtual meetings. A doctor could also consult with a patient over the phone,
even taking their pulse by holding the wrist of the claytronic replica, reports
New Scientist. 
(Scotsman 6/9/05)  http://news.scotsman.com/scitech.cfm?id=632012005


Nano World: Nano for stem-cell research. Cutting-edge nanotechnology is 
beginning to help advance the equally pioneering field of stem-cell research, 
with devices that can precisely control stem cells and provide self-assembling 
biodegradable scaffolds and magnetic tracking systems, experts told UPI's Nano 
World. "Nanotechnology might show people once and for all that you really can 
help regenerate organs with stem-cell biology and help people walk again, help 
people after heart attacks, help people after stroke," said John Kessler, a 
neurologist at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill. (World Peace Herald 
6/13/05) http://www.wpherald.com/storyview.php?StoryID=20050613-112055-9237r


Scientists Fret over nanotech breakthrough. A breakthrough in nanotechnology has
enabled doctors accurately to measure the levels of crucial chemicals in living
brain cells in real time and at the level of a single cell. Scientists at 
Stanford University and the Carnegie Institution's Department of Plant Biology 
claim to be the first successfully to apply genetic nanotechnology using 
molecular sensors to view changes in brain chemical levels. (Computing 5/31/05) 
http://www.computing.co.uk/vnunet/news/2137318/scientists-fret-nanotech-breakthrough


Quantum dots prove to be a faster, more sensitive method for detecting 
respiratory viral infections. In what may be one of the first medical uses of 
nanotechnology, a chemist and a doctor who specializes in infectious childhood 
diseases have joined forces to create an early detection method for a 
respiratory virus that is the most common cause of hospitalization among 
children under five. (Exploration 6/9/05) 
http://exploration.vanderbilt.edu/news/news_quantum.htm


UCI scientists use nanotechnology to create world's fastest method for 
transmitting information in cell phones and computers. UC Irvine scientists in 
The Henry Samueli School of Engineering have demonstrated for the first time 
that carbon nanotubes can route electrical signals on a chip faster than 
traditional copper or aluminum wires, at speeds of up to 10 GHz. The 
breakthrough could lead to faster and more efficient computers, and improved 
wireless network and cellular phone systems, adding to the growing enthusiasm 
about nanotechnology's revolutionary potential. (UCI 6/9/05) 
http://today.uci.edu/news/release_detail.asp?key=1337


MIT's Nanoprinter Could Mass-produce Nano-devices. Just as the printing press 
revolutionized the creation of reading matter, a "nano-printing" technique 
developed at MIT could enable the mass production of nano-devices currently 
built one at a time. The most immediate candidate for this innovation is the DNA
microarray, a nano-device used to diagnose and understand genetic illnesses 
such as Alzheimer's, viral illnesses such as AIDS, and certain types of cancer. 
The ability to mass produce these complex devices would make DNA analysis as 
common and inexpensive as blood testing, and thus greatly accelerate efforts to 
discover the origins of disease. (Sciencedaily 6/9/05)
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/06/050608054226.htm


Nanoparticles transport cancer-killing drug into tumor cells to increase 
efficacy, lower drug toxicity in mice. U-M scientists use folic acid as bait to 
get methotrexate inside tumor cells. University of Michigan scientists have 
created the nanotechnology equivalent of a Trojan horse to smuggle a powerful 
chemotherapeutic drug inside tumor cells - increasing the drug's cancer-killing 
activity and reducing its toxic side effects..."This is the first study to 
demonstrate a nanoparticle-targeted drug actually leaving the bloodstream, being
concentrated in cancer cells, and having a biological effect on the animal's 
tumor," says James R. Baker Jr., M.D., the Ruth Dow Doan Professor of Biologic 
Nanotechnology at the University of Michigan, who directed the study. (UMHS 
6/15/05) http://www.med.umich.edu/opm/newspage/2005/nanoparticles.htm


Commissioner responds to children's nano questions. EU Science and Research 
Commissioner Janez Potocnik answered questions from children on nanotechnology 
when he visited the nanoTruck in Brussels on 15 June. A German initiative, the 
nanoTruck is a mobile science theme park exhibiting some of the latest science 
and technology at the nano dimension in a variety of disciplines. Inside the 
truck are magnetic fluids, measuring instruments that make atoms visible, and 
scratch-proof coatings for cars. The organizers encourage visitors try out the 
exhibits themselves, making it an ideal place to introduce the younger 
generation to the wonders of nanoscience and nanotechnology. 

(Cordis 6/16/05) 
http://dbs.cordis.lu/cgi-bin/srchidadb?CALLER=NHP_EN_NEWS&ACTION=D&SESSION=&RCN=EN_RCN_ID:23992


Good news about saliva or "spit". Dr. Wong, who also leads UCLA's Dental 
Research Institute, described the latest in saliva diagnostic research to 
attendees at the American Dental Association's National Media Conference, held 
here today. "We have developed highly specific, nanotechnology-based biosensors 
(ultra tiny machines that read the simplest cell structure), which will permit 
the detection of disease-bearing biomarkers in saliva," said Dr. Wong. 
Scientists have long recognized that saliva contains the full complement of 
proteins, hormones, antibodies and other molecular substances frequently 
measured in standard blood tests to monitor health and disease, he explained. 
(myDNA 6/9/05) 
http://www.mydna.com/resources/news/200506/news_20050609_spit.html


NCL to go into labs with 'Golden Triangle' for cancer trials. EIGHT months after
raising hopes with their cutting edge 'Golden Triangle' technology for fighting
cancer sans chemotherapy, nanoscientists at the National Chemical Laboratory 
(NCL) are gearing up for the technology's first in-vitro tests. Murali Sastry, 
head, Nanoscience Group at NCL, said the in-vitro (laboratory) tests would be 
conducted on cancerous cells in a month's time at the Tata's Advanced Centre for
Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer (ACTREC) in Navi Mumbai...The 
trials are being conducted to establish the toxicity of the gold nano-particles.
''While gold is inherently non-toxic, we have to see exactly where the 
nano-sized triangles go when introduced into the cancerous area. We have kept a 
two-year window to see if we can get into clinical trials on humans.'' 

(Allheadline News 5/31/05) 
http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=131718


World's most precise "hard x-ray" nanoprobe activated. Marking a major step 
forward in using x-rays to study extremely small structures and phenomena, the 
world's first "hard x-ray" nanoprobe beamline was activated on March 15, 2005. 
The unique nanoprobe is one of the featured instruments at the new Center for 
Nanoscale Materials (CNM), a U.S. Department of Energy user research facility 
located at Argonne National Laboratory, about 25 miles west of Chicago. CNM 
researchers expect to soon be using the x-ray nanoprobe to study individual 
atoms, molecules, and the unique physical interactions that occur at the 
nanoscale, where features are measured in nanometers, or billionths of a meter 
(a nanometer is 70,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair). (Nanoapex 
5/30/05)
http://news.nanoapex.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=5650


Thin films of silicon nanoparticles roll into flexible nanotubes. By depositing 
nanoparticles onto a charged surface, researchers at the University of Illinois 
at Urbana-Champaign have crafted nanotubes from silicon that are flexible and 
nearly as soft as rubber. "Resembling miniature scrolls, the nanotubes could 
prove useful as catalysts, guided laser cavities and nanorobots," said Sahraoui 
Chaieb, a professor of mechanical and industrial engineering at Illinois and a 
researcher at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology. 
(Eurekalert 6/14/05)
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-06/uoia-tfo061405.php


China tops the world in nano-papers. News from the 2005 China International 
Conference on Nanoscience and Technology (China Nano 2005) held on June 9 says 
that by December 2004 China has had more than 800 companies engaged in trade in 
nano-technology and about a hundred nano-technology research institutes. More 
than ten projects such as for making Li cells, solar cells, textiles and 
environment-friendly interior paints have been commercialized. (People's Daily 
Online 6/10/05)
http://english.people.com.cn/200506/10/eng20050610_189642.html 


Nanotechnology's Environmental, Health, and Safety Risks Can Be Addressed 
Responsibly Today. Stakeholders ranging from corporations to start-ups to 
protest groups are concerned about the environmental, health, and safety (EHS) 
risks of nanoparticles -- the prospect that tiny, engineered particles of matter
might harm workers, consumers or the environment. While such EHS risks do 
exist, they can be appropriately addressed today using well-established risk 
management techniques, according to a new report from Lux Research entitled "A 
Prudent Approach to Nanotech Environmental, Health, and Safety Risks." (Yahoo 
6/15/05) http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050615/nyw071.html?.v=11
 

When Nanopants Attack. On a chilly Chicago afternoon in early May, environmental
activists sauntered into the Eddie Bauer store on Michigan Avenue, headed to 
the broad storefront windows opening out on the Magnificent Mile. Activists 
hoped to lay bare growing allegations of the toxic dangers of nanotechnology. 
The demonstrators bore the message in slogans painted on their bodies, 
proclaiming "Eddie Bauer hazard" and "Expose the truth about nanotech," among 
other things, in light of the clothing company's embrace of nanotech in its 
recent line of stain-resistant "nanopants." (Wired 6/16/05) 
http://www.wired.com/news/medtech/0,1286,67626,00.html?tw=wn_12techhead


Brush up on your nanotechnology. The world's smallest brushes, with bristles 
more than a thousand times finer than a human hair, have been created by 
researchers in the US. The brushes can be used for sweeping up nano-dust, 
painting microstructures and even cleaning up pollutants in water. The bristles'
secret is carbon nanotubes, tiny straw-like molecules just 30 billionths of a 
metre across. They are incredibly tough and yet flexible enough that they will 
yield when pushed from the side. The researchers behind the brushes were led 
from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. Their work is reported 
in the journal Nature Materials. (BBC 6/12/05) 
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4085214.stm


'Emerging Sectors' maps new type of summer camp. What will your kids tell 
classmates they did this summer? Attend soccer camp? Swim at the pool? Study 
nanotechnology? Instructors at Oakland Schools hope the response will be the 
latter as the school system is modeling much of its summer enrichment programs 
after the county's Emerging Sectors initiative. The curriculum received praise 
from government officials and industry leaders, who say getting technology 
training into youngsters' hands is essential in creating tomorrow's high-skilled
workforce. 

(mlive 6/16/05)  
http://www.mlive.com/mbusinessreview/stories/index.ssf?/mbusinessreview/oak/stories/20050616_emerging.html


Does 10% = Halfway? To "maximize the potential and minimize the risks" of 
nanotechnology, DuPont CEO Chad Holliday and Environmental Defense (ED) 
President Fred Krupp are calling for "increased risk research, improved 
regulatory oversight, proactive corporate management standards, and broad 
stakeholder engagement." Given potential liability and market risks, industry, 
universities, government and public interest groups should collaborate to 
determine what testing is necessary for new nanoproducts. Businesses then should
conduct the needed testing before new products enter commercial use. . . A 
collaborative effort could set interim standards for nanotechnology around the 
world while regulations are under development. (CRN blog 6/15/05) 
http://crnano.typepad.com/crnblog/2005/06/does_10_halfway.html



Gina "Nanogirl" Miller
Nanotechnology Industries
http://www.nanoindustries.com
Personal: http://www.nanogirl.com/index2.html
Foresight Senior Associate http://www.foresight.org
Nanotechnology Advisor Extropy Institute  http://www.extropy.org
3D/Animation http://www.nanogirl.com/museumfuture/index.htm
My New Project: Microscope Jewelry
http://www.nanogirl.com/crafts/microjewelry.htm
Email: 
"Nanotechnology: Solutions for the future."


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