News in a NanoSecond

Step toward building tiny, molecular motors (Innovations Report)

A step towards building tiny motors on the scale of a molecule has been demonstrated by researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA).

In an article appearing in the current issue of Science magazine, the researchers from the two institutions described how they were able – through light or electrical stimulation – to cause a molecule to rotate on an axis in a controlled fashion, similar to the action of a motor.

The consequences of such an achievement could lead to the design of molecular devices on a “nano” scale (one billionth of a meter), capable of operating industrial or surgical processes that larger equipment could not handle. More

The First Nanochips (Scientific American)

For most people, the notion of harnessing nanotechnology for electronic circuitry suggests something wildly futuristic. In fact, if you have used a personal computer made in the past few years, your work was most likely processed by semiconductors built with nanometer-scale features. These immensely sophisticated microchips--or rather, nanochips--are now manufactured by the millions, yet the scientists and engineers responsible for their development receive little recognition. You might say that these people are the Rodney Dangerfields of nanotechnology. So here I would like to trumpet their accomplishments and explain how their efforts have maintained the steady advance in circuit performance to which consumers have grown accustomed. More

In the papers 22 March (electricnews.net)

The Sunday Tribune says that Dublin nanotechnology company Ntera is close to finalising a funding round that could raise as much as EUR5 million. The new funding would bring the amount the company has raised since being founded in 1997 to EUR20 million.

The same paper notes that rock group U2 have earned more than EUR4 million through the sale of rights to use the band's name on an official Web site for the past three years. More

How to remove misbehaving nanobots? (sci.nanotech)

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