Life, actually

An excellent review/commentary by Ian Bell in the Sunday Herald: Upgrading The Human Condition

That, indeed, may be at the heart of technofear: we suspect it’s not science that’s defective, as such, but us. The Prince of Wales, that noted expert, has recently written to the press to voice his fears about nanotechnology, the use of molecule-sized parts to create tiny devices. Thus far it has been used for sun screens and stain-proof trousers. Charles is afraid that the science could, yes, run amok, with miniscule robots reproducing themselves and proceeding to turn the world into “grey goo”.

Many might suspect that the only grey goo we have to worry about is between the ears of HRH, but scientists fear that the prince could do to them what he did to the reputation of contemporary architecture. Charles, clearly, can have no way of knowing what he is talking about, but the fear he expresses is common: do any of us really know what we are doing when we follow where science leads?

No, actually. It’s called life, and it’s a gamble. At least, that’s what the killer robots told me to say. More here

NanoBot Backgrounder
Evangelicals and Nano-Gnosticism
Pleasant Nannites
Nanotech and Tikkun
I, NanoBot?

Shape-shifting wings closer to flight?

NanoSonic and Lockheed Partner on Nanotechnology (Richmond Times - Dispatch)

NanoSonic Inc., a Blacksburg (Va.) firm, has signed an agreement with Lockheed Martin Corp. to develop nanotechnology materials and coatings. NanoSonic is led by Richard O. Claus, who holds a chair in electrical and computer engineering and materials science at Virginia Tech. Claus said in a statement that the partnership with Lockheed Martin should be "very beneficial" to his company and Virginia's role in nanotechnology.

... The company, founded in 1998, recently announced that it has begun making a new material called Metal Rubber that conducts electricity like a metal but stretches like rubber up to several hundred percent of its original length. It is being considered for medical and aerospace uses.

Metal Rubber has been mentioned as a possible component for airplane wings that shift their shape when charged with electricity or for use in artificial muscles. More here

NanoBot Backgrounder
If it isn't materials, it's immaterial
Cancer death to cancer detection
An Army of Nano

Resources
Initiative for Nanotechnology in Virginia
Lockheed Martin Technology Research
Electrostatic Self-Assembly of Nanoparticles

NanoSecond

Nano sunblock safety under scrutiny (ABC Science Online)

We don't know enough about the safety of some nanoparticles, such as those already included in some cosmetics and sunscreens, a U.K. report has found.

The report, just released by the Royal Society and the Royal Academy of Engineering, calls for further studies on the safety of nanoparticles such as the ultrafine zinc oxide powders currently used in some Australian sunscreens. The model Megan Gale launched one such product in Australia late last year. While the product was not specifically mentioned in the report, it contains zinc oxide particles 30 nanometers across. More NanoBot Backgrounder
Nerd American Idol
Don't hate me because I'm nano-beautiful
Beauty and the Nano Beat

Resources
What's New in Cosmetics R&D
L'Oreal's nanosomes
Skin Science

UK: Nanotechnology: Whistle blown! (fiber2fasion)

This relatively new technology announced recently as ‘the technology of the future’ has whistle-blower scientist calling for its ban.

Reason according to them is that they pose health and environmental risks great enough to justify their ban form daily use. In a report commissioned by the British Government stated that their use in certain cosmetics now found on the U.S. market was a cause for concern. More

NanoBot Backgrounder
QuoteBot: Clayton Teague
Britain balances science, economics, perception
The Princess or the Dragon

Tiny materials make big splash on Wall St. (MSNBC)

It's no surprise that science of the tiniest materials is making a big splash on Wall Street. It's a field that holds the promise of changing this century the way computer chips and biotechnology changed the last one. But investors still licking fresh wounds from the last "Next Big Thing" are justified in wondering if this latest innovation will turn out to be just another big way to lose money. More

Related News
Nanosys: The Giant Dwarf (Forbes)

NanoBot Backgrounder
IPO and Public Perception
Initial Perilous Offering
QuoteBot: Jeff Bezos

Oregon aims to get in on next small thing (Corvallis Gazette-Times)

After two days of papers, posters and presentations on the enormous potential of technology's tiniest frontier, the Micro Nano Breakthrough Conference came down to two very practical questions: Where will the money to fund this scientific revolution come from? And how can Oregon get a piece of the action? More

NanoBot Backgrounder
Nano Bacon Brought Home
Mr. Kulongoski goes to Washington
It's the nano economy, stupid

QuoteBot

"I think we have an appropriate level of research and development underway to look into potential risks associated with nanoscale materials."
Clayton Teague, director of the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office, quoted in the Washington Post

NanoBot Backgrounder
Interview with Nano's 'public face'
A little story about drugs, bass and balls
Bucky rage and 'imaginative commentators'

ETC Group Reacts

UK Report: More Hits than Misses on Nanotech

After a year-long investigation, the United Kingdom’s Royal Society and Royal Academy of Engineering released its final report today examining the health, safety, environmental, ethical and societal implications of nano-scale technologies. The report was commissioned by the UK government last June. The UK’s Trade Union Congress today supported the Royal Society’s report and called for strong regulations to prevent worker exposure to manufactured nanoparticles. "There have been plenty of red flags, but the dollar signs have blotted out the warnings signs," said Rory O’Neill, spokesman for the Trade Union Congress.

"The report is a good start toward addressing the potential negative health and environmental impacts of nano-scale technologies, particularly the use of nanoparticles," said Jim Thomas, European Programme Manager of the ETC Group based in Oxford. "Just one year ago Lord Sainsbury [UK Science Minister] said that nanotech was adequately covered by regulations — he was wrong. We welcome the Royal Society’s precautionary language on the environment and strong recommendations on nanoparticles."

Today’s report vindicates many of those, like ETC Group, who have expressed concerns about the dangers of nanotechnology for human health and the environment in the absence of regulatory oversight. More here

NanoBot Backgrounder
Britain balances science, economics, perception
'Mongrel dogs who teach'
Are nanoparticle studies 'one decade late'?
The nano-brain barrier

Britain balances science, economics, perception

A source in Britain's nanotech research community tells me that "it's certainly going to be a big couple of days for nanotechnology in the UK." He says that nongovernmental organizations, "including ETC and the other usual suspects" are meeting tomorrow to discuss their response to this report. Meanwhile, here's some coverage from around the world:

Report Urges Nanotechnology Safety Checks (Associated Press)

Substances made using nanotechnology should be considered new chemicals and undergo extra safety checks before they hit the market to ensure they do not pose a threat to human health, experts said Thursday.

In a report commissioned by the British government, a panel of scientists, engineers, ethicists and other experts identified major opportunities and hazards that are likely to arise as nanotechnology - the science of manipulating matter at the molecular level - comes of age.

The analysis, conducted by the Royal Society of Engineers and the Royal Society, Britain's academy of scientists, is the first of its kind. More here

'Tighter controls' for tiny science (BBC News)

Tighter UK and European regulation over some aspects of nanotechnology -manipulation of molecules - is needed to ensure its long-term safety.

A Royal Society and Royal Academy of Engineering report said that there was no need to ban nanoparticle production.

But more formal research of them was "urgent". Nanoparticles should also be treated as "new chemicals", it said. More here and also from the Beeb: Myths and realities of nano futures

Myths and realities of nano futures (False Positives)

Enough material for a couple of sci fi novels in there or at least some good day dreams! One question is, of course time frames. By Short term is 5 to 10 years, with the list of "Nanotechnology in our lives" as direct examples on applications of the short term uses. The Long Terms list is more 20 to 40 years out. Industries that supply or use products in the short term list should certainly be thinking about how to take advantage of these trends, or risk becoming obsolete and/or out competed. More here

Uh-Ho Here it Comes (TNTlog)

Jim Thomas of ETC raises one of the most irrelevant questions of the week "What does it mean for the poor, disabled, the disadvantaged - people who are usually left out of the debate?" NanoWater and the work Tim Harper is currently putting in place with the United Nations Development Program should answer that question. More here

Most nanotech poses 'no new risks' (NewScientist.com)

Most nanotechnology poses no new risk to human health or the environment, concludes a study commissioned by the UK government.

But the independent report, issued by the Royal Society and the Royal Academy of Engineering on Thursday, recommends that "free" nanoparticles, or those that could come into direct contact with humans through the air or the skin, be subject to fresh regulatory controls. More here

Ultra-Small Nanotechnology Needs Regulation-Report (Reuters)

Nanotechnology -- which operates on an almost unimaginably small scale -- offers tremendous potential, but regulation is needed to minimize any future risks, scientists said on Thursday.

The atom-sized technology could lead to more powerful computers, very light but strong materials and advanced medical techniques.

But a report by the Britain's Royal Society, an academy of leading scientists, and the Royal Academy of Engineering, said more research is needed to discover any negative, as well as positive effects, it may have. More here

Laws 'Needed to Control Nanotechnology' (Scotsman.com)

New laws are needed to ensure that nanotechnology does not pose a future threat to human health, experts said today.

A Government-backed report from the Royal Society and Royal Academy of Engineering said the new science, which involves manipulating matter on ultra small scales, could bring enormous benefits.

But it recognised there could also be hazards, especially with microscopic dust particles or “nanotube” fibres that can be inhaled.

The report recommended that nanoparticles and nanotubes be treated as new chemicals under UK and European legislation to allow appropriate safety tests and labelling. More here Also from scotsman.com: Nanotechnology Offers Potential to Bring Jobs, Investment and Prosperity - Lord Sainsbury

Nanotechnology tries to fix image problem (The Independent)

Scientists are calling for a public debate into nanotechnology to dispel fears about the new science and prevent it being labelled as "another GM".

The Royal Society says today in a report that nanotechnology - which uses molecule-sized parts as small as a billionth of a metre to do otherwise impossible tasks - could bring a huge economic boost to Britain. More here

Nanomaterials should be treated as new chemicals (Plastics & Rubber Weekly)

Nanotubes and nanoparticles should be treated as new chemicals to trigger appropriate safety tests and minimise the possible future risks of the technology, according to a UK government report published today. When used in consumer products such as cosmetics, the report recommended that an independent scientific safety committee should give their approval for use. More here

Nanotechnologies Bring Great Potential And Need For Responsible Development (PhysOrg.com)

Nanotechnology offers many potential benefits, but its development must be guided by appropriate safety assessments and regulation to minimise any possible risks to people and the environment, according to a report published today (29 July 2004) by the Royal Society and the Royal Academy of Engineering.

The report was commissioned by the UK Government last year to consider current and future developments in nanotechnology. It identifies a range of potential benefits to be gained from nanoscience and nanotechnologies including new materials, more powerful computers and revolutionary medical techniques. The report recommends steps to realise these while minimising possible future uncertainties and risks. More here

NanoBot Backgrounder
First, blame the media
Royal Rulings
Legislation before Education
GMO is so '90s; Make way for AMO
Nano is a concept by which we measure our pain

An Army of Nano

Future Warrior Exhibits Super Powers (Defense Link)

The Army's future soldier will resemble something out of a science fiction movie, members of Congress witnessed at a demonstration on Capitol Hill July 23.

... The second uniform system, the Vision 2020 Future Warrior concept, will follow the 2010 Future Force Warrior with more advanced nanotechnology. Nanotechnology deals with the creation of incredibly small materials, devices or systems with a scaled-down size of 100 nanometers or less. A nanometer is a metric measurement equivalent to one billionth of a meter.

... "If we were in Detroit, the 2020 Future Warrior system would be the concept car. It leverages a lot of the nano-work being done by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology," (Jean-Louis "Dutch") DeGay, (a Soldier Systems Center representative) said, noting the Army just awarded MIT a five- year, $50 million program to establish the Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies. More here

NanoBot Backgrounder
This blog will self-destruct in 5 seconds
Military, Media and Mishpucha
'Integration' and 'Vision' at Michigan Small Tech

Nano now with less salt!

India's president calls for better ocean management through advance technology (India Press Information Bureau)

(Indian President Dr.A.P.J.Abdul) Kalam praised the scientific innovations of the Indian Scientists. He emphasized on better ocean management through advance methods like Nanotechnology. Speaking on the drinking water problem, Dr. Kalam said that desalination of sea water is one of the most potential solution to ease the of the drinking water problem. More here

NanoBot Backgrounder
A longing for paradise regained
Water for peace
Hari Seldon (LLC) Saves the Universe

But does it slice, dice and make Julienne fries?

Is this "nanotechnology?

The NanoBreeze Car Air Purifier from NanoTwin Technologies uses photocatalytic nanotechnology to clean and purify the air inside the passenger compartment of any motor vehicle.

... Nanotechnology is the design, manufacture or control of single molecules and atoms to perform the duties of a machine. The NanoBreeze Car Air Purifier uses crystalline molecules of titanium dioxide TiO2 as a molecular machine. TiO2 is a semiconductor charged by UVA photons to drive oxidation and reduction reactions on the catalyst surface. The reactions convert organic pollutants to carbon dioxide and water. The process is known as oxidation by photocatalysis, from combining the Greek words for light and dissolve. Even the American Lung Association reports that photocatalytic nanotechnology is capable of rapidly destroying toxic components of tobacco smoke such as formaldehyde, acrolein, and benzene. More

NanoBot Backgrounder
Is this nanotechnology?

NanoSecond

Newly designed nanoparticle quantum dots simultaneously target and image prostate tumors in mice (EurekAlert)

Emory University scientists have for the first time used a new class of luminescent "quantum dot" nanoparticles in living animals to simultaneously target and image cancerous tumors. The quantum dots were encapsulated in a highly protective polymer coating and attached to a monoclonal antibody that guided them to prostate tumor sites in living mice, where they were visible using a simple mercury lamp. The scientists believe the ability to both target and image cells in vivo represents a significant step in the quest to eventually use nanotechnology to target, image, and treat cancer, cardiovascular plaques, and neurodegenerative disease in humans. The findings were published on-line July 18 in the journal Nature Biotechnology and will appear in the journal's August 1 print edition. More

Related news here, here and here

Saying no to more EU regulation (Financial Times)

The Commission can set the right framework for companies to compete and to prosper; it can also, unfortunately, contribute to de-industrialisation. We are faced with the situation that companies turn their backs on Europe and innovate elsewhere, although Europe could be a world leader in new technologies, such as gene technology, biotechnology and nanotechnology. More

Nanomedicine Breakthroughs at Xerox's PARC (Roland Piquepaille's Technology Trends)

The new Scripps-PARC Institute for Advanced Biomedical Sciences (SPIABS for short) is the fruit of the union between Xerox's PARC and the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla and promises to transform medical research and the practice of medicine. The Mercury News writes that it's making a big leap to innovation in medicine. SPIABS already announced an enthalpy array, an extremely precise nanocalorimeter. It can detect changes of millionths of a degree in temperature, using samples of only 240 nanoliters. More

Introduction to Nanotechnology is now online and free (NanoTechWire)

This material was produced as part of a ten hour course designed to introduce the scope of nanotechnology. An introduction to nanotechnology is now online. The material for this course is now available for students, educators, and anyone wishing to know more about nanotechnology. More

Nano Additives From BYK-Chemie: First Application in the Field of PVC Floor Coverings (Inside Paint)

The products are marketed under the tradenames NANOBYK-3600 and NANOBYK-3601. They have been developed to improve scratch and wear resistance of UV-coatings that can also be applied to plastics (e.g. as a top coat for Vinyl Floorings). More

ITRI develops new application for nanoparticles (eTaiwan News)

Utilizing new advance in nanotechnology and the application of metal photo-catalyst, the government-affiliated Industrial Technology Research Institute has developed more efficient ways of filtering pollutants and purifying air to maintain health living conditions both at home and at work. More

Particle Chains Make Quantum Wires (Technology Review)

Computers must have the ability to transfer data among different components. One of the difficult problems of building a quantum computer is finding a way to transfer data stored as a property, or quantum state, of an atom, electron or photon.

Researchers from the University of Cambridge in England, the National University of Singapore and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have devised a relatively simple way to transfer data between quantum bits, or qubits. More

Welcome to our Nano Nightmare - The Sequel

Memo to Intel: If "nanotechnology" was easy, everybody would be doing it. Thank goodness nanoscale self-assembly, atomically precise positioning and other nanotech tricks are coming to the rescue. Your father's clunky, old top-down lithography methods are going the way of the Oldsmobile.

The final straw came last week, when Intel acknowledged that it was delaying the launch of a chip that it had called "the linchpin" in its new line of chips for notebook computers. That delay meant that computer systems built with the chip, which offered new audio and video capabilities, would miss the winter holiday shopping season. More here

NanoBot Backgrounder
Welcome to our Nano Nightmare
Thanks for the nanomemories, Intel
Thanks for the Nanomemories, Part II
Cut NSF, but grow nano

Related News
Nanoimprint lithography gets smaller

Political Science

"While the Bush administration has politicized science, Kerry will put America back on the path of scientific excellence with a commitment to scientific research based on fact – not ideology." More

"Nanotechnology research has been a priority for the Administration for the last three years. Overall funding for nanotechnology research has increased by 83% since 2001.” More

Quantum Cocktail

While I applaud the attempt at metaphor, I'm not sure I understand it. Then, again, I keep waiting by my mailbox for cocktail party invitations.

(David) Grier compares the light output, or "noise," of a blinking group of quantum dots to the babble of cocktail-party conversation. "Even if everyone's talking about the same thing, you probably wouldn't be able to figure out what they're saying," Grier says. "Matt has discovered that, for these blinking quantum dots, all the conversations are the same in a very special way. And that allows you to figure out an awful lot about what's being said by listening to the whole crowd." More here

NanoBot Backgrounder
Metaphors thinner than a human hair
Merkle and the case of the misleading metaphor

Pleasant Nannites

"Sonny, get the Nannites."
"Yes, Doctor"

Don't want to spoil it for those who haven't see it, but in I, Robot, nano is good.

NanoBot Backgrounder
Web-slinging Stepford Nano
The Amazing Power of PokéBalls
Crossing the Blood-Game Barrier

This blog will self-destruct in 5 seconds

Mission Impossible (U.S. News & World Report)

Despite the opposition, the ODCI (Office of the Director of Central Intelligence) team did have some successes. ... Among the project areas: using nanotechnology to create microscopic electronic bugs that can penetrate terrorist camps, and development of sophisticated new data-mining software, dubbed Novel Intelligence from Massive Data. Even a scaled-back version of ICMAP is getting funded, says Charlie Allen, who took over the project when James Simon left in early 2003. Allen expects a pilot version next year. All it took, he says wryly, were 23 drafts to get the proposal approved by agency heads. More here.

NanoBot Backgrounder
Military, Media and Mishpucha
National Nanotechnology 'Disarmament' Initiative
'Integration' and 'Vision' at Michigan Small Tech

'Gee Whiz'

Thank you, Anita Campbell of Small Business Trends, who writes:

Howard Lovy, the publisher of Nanobot, de-mystifies nanotechnology. At the same time, he revels in the "gee whiz" aspect of it. And he knows how to use the gee whiz factor to capture his readers' attention, along with some humor and wit thrown in for good measure. More here

The Princess or the Dragon

The promise and perils of the nanotech revolution (San Francisco Chronicle)

Nanotechnology could revolutionize science, technology, medicine and space exploration.

Nanotechnology could ravage the environment, eliminate jobs and lead to frightening new weapons of war.

Those are two extreme takes on the hottest, and potentially most controversial, new technology since biotech and PCs. More

NanoBot Backgrounder
Apocalypse Nano
Are nanoparticle studies 'one decade late'?
Ruff on the environment

The children are our nano future

Teacher conference examines cutting-edge technologies (News@UWMadison)

The intersection among four major areas of science and technology and how to apply it K-12 classrooms will be the topic of a two-day conference beginning on Monday, Aug. 2.

Teachers at the conference will explore a concept called "converging technologies" -- the combination of nanotechnology, biotechnology, information technology and cognitive science -- as a unifying concept in teaching science. More here

The next technological revolution? PSU-Fayette conducts nanotech camp (Daily Courier)

Area high school students were introduced to the small, small world of nanotechnology this week during a special camp at Penn State Fayette The Eberly Campus.

According to David Meredith, a professor at the campus, the nanotechnology program has been offered at Penn State for two years, and the camp is new this year to let potential students know what it is, how it works, where it's applied and why it's the next and possibly greatest technological revolution. More here

Extra class in science might not be answer (Star-Telegram)

Sounds simple enough, considering the spread of high-tech and biotech and nanotech. But there's more to building a dynamic work force than dictating more classes.

How about making sure that students get more from what they're already taking? More here

CBEN Wins grant for undergraduate nanotech course (PhysOrg.com)

Class will present technical aspects alongside analysis of societal impacts

The Center for Biological and Environmental Nanotechnology at Rice University today announced the award of a $100,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to develop the first introductory nanotechnology class to be offered at Rice University, a research-intensive institution known worldwide for its excellence in nanotechnology research.

The course, titled "Nanotechnology: Content and Context," will be offered jointly by the departments of chemistry and anthropology this fall. The grant, awarded under NSF's Nanotechnology in Undergraduate Education program, allows Rice to join a small but growing number of schools offering undergraduate nanotech classes aimed at preparing students for a future in which nanotech is an integral part of the technology landscape. More here

NanoBot Backgrounder
Gonna send you back to nano schoolin'
Venezuelan natural nano resource
Do you know where your children are?

Cut NSF, but grow nano

The House Appropriations Committee apparently wants to see some cuts at the National Science Foundation (NSF) for 2005. Nanotechnology, however, appears to be one small exception. Judging from this quote provided by SpaceRef.com, "nanotechnology" in this instance means the semiconductor industry.

Regarding nanotechnology, the report states, "the Committee remains concerned that researchers are reaching the physical limits of current complementary metal oxide semiconductor process technology and that this will have significant implications for continued productivity growth in the information economy." After commending NSF's activities, the report "encourages NSF to consider increasing research support, where feasible, through this program." More here

The House committee is likely reacting to a request from the Semiconductor Industry Association. In 15 years, the association predicts, it'll be like Midtown Manhattan subways during rush hour on every chip. You just can't pack them in there any tighter. Top down is dying. Bottom-up is on the ascent – whether it's through self-assembly or atomically precise positioning.

So, the group is asking the U.S. government to chip in more money and it's proposing a research institute that will discover what comes next. The goal? Creating an entirely new industry, with new switches, interconnects, materials, memory and manufacturing methods by 2020.

Related News
Chipmakers' Problems Are Speeding Up (BusinessWeek)

Longer term, chip companies are looking at all sorts of exotic solutions, including more use of nanotechnology. Within the next decade, engineers envision using tiny carbon nanotubes as a partial replacement for silicon to cut down on chip overheating. Further out, scientists anticipate being able to make tiny transistors with single-atom switches, requiring infinitesimal amounts of energy to run. More here

Samsung Expands Texas Semiconductor Lines (The Korea Times)

The enlargement represents the second-phase implementation of Samsung's three-year plan to invest $500 million in SAS to make the fabrication plant a world-class facility armed with so-called nano-technology. More here

Nano-Imprinting Promises Even Smaller Electronics (Science a GoGo)

In a discovery that could lead to dramatically smaller computer chips and other electronic components, Princeton scientists have found a way to mass produce devices that are so small they are at the limit of what can be viewed by the most powerful microscopes. More here

NanoBot Backgrounder
Thanks for the nanomemories, Intel
Welcome to our Nano Nightmare
What Would Roger Own? Not Nano
Swatting Millipedes
Abstract Cart

Fools don't rush in

Is Nanotechnology for Real? (Motley Fool)

Which companies will make the most of this field? So far, one has used nano-development to improve drug delivery -- boosting its stock price. But investors searching for commercial value from hundreds of other companies looking to improve products through this science will start down a long road. More here

NanoBot Backgrounder
Nanocap stock positions
Garbage picking
Return of the Cave Capitalist

Nano Bacon Brought Home

Looks like the seeds planted by Oregon's governor and senator are beginning to produce a bumper crop. But NanoBot readers already knew they would.

University of Oregon lands millions of dollars in grants (Associated Press)

Research programs also will benefit from $5 million in funding for the Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnology Institute, a joint effort of the University of Oregon, Oregon State University, Portland State University, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and private partners. More here

DoD spending bill includes nanotechnology funds (EE Times)

Congress approved funding this week included in a military appropriations bill to continue nanotechnology research at the University of Oregon.

The Pentagon spending bill approved Thursday (July 22) included $8 million in nanotechnology research funding earmarked for the University of Oregon (Eugene). Of that total, $5 million will go towards continuing research at the Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute. More here

NanoBot Backgrounder
Oregon Trail and the Holy Grail
Mr. Kulongoski goes to Washington

Related Resources
Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute
Micro Nano Breakthrough Conference 2004
Portland State University Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology

Royal rulings

Scientists support Prince on nanotech (The Independent)

Tough new rules must be brought in to guard against dangers to health and the environment from nanotechnology, Britain's top scientific and engineering bodies will conclude this week.

A weighty new joint report by the Royal Society and the Royal Academy of Engineering will also urge ministers and scientists to adopt a much more open approach to the public over the technology than it has over GM. More here

NanoBot Backgrounder
'Societal Concerns' vs. Scientific Accuracy
British Equation
U.K. recognizes importance of perception

Upcoming Event
First International Symposium on Occupational Health Implications of Nanomaterials, 12-14 October 2004, Palace Hotel, Buxton, Derbyshire, UK. More here

A night at the micro opera

Swinburne University of Technology's Centre for Micro-Photonics constructed a model of the Sydney Opera House. Its dimensions are 64 x 38 x 41 micrometers, (yes, I know; not nano, but cool, anyway). It was built from a hybrid material of glass and polymer. The opera house joins the White House, the Micro Bull, the nanosax, the nanoguitar and, of course, it all started with this IBM image. And you can't forget Venture Capital firm Draper Fisher Jurvetson's infamous hoax, the NanoCar. What does any of this do to advance the science of nanotechnology? Probably very little. But when it comes to attracting the interest of the general public, you know what they say about that picture/word ratio. The micro opera house was among Yahoo News' most e-mailed photos.

NanoBot Backgrounder
The Art of Nano
Stairway to Heaven
Human Nanofactory in Four Dimensions

SciFi 'drifting toward reality'

To boldly go . . .
Donna Shirley, who bucked sexism to become an aerospace engineer and went on to lead NASA's Mars program, now heads Seattle's new Science Fiction Museum (Chicago Tribune)

She says sci-fi themes -- including cloning, nanotechnology and post-apocalyptic survival -- address increasingly real concerns about life on Earth. "It was science fiction," she said during a museum tour, "but now it's drifting toward reality." More

NanoBot Backgrounder
NanoRobots shake (do not stir) the world
More scifi nano to confuse the kids
NNI confused by SciFi

QuoteBot

"The next generation may be so small that they could be put in our cereal packet and we may ingest them and be tracked without our consent."

Professor Ursula Gibson of Dartmouth College, quoted in Australia's ABC Science Online, referring to smaller and smaller tracking devices during a nanotechnology ethics debate

'Terabyte territory'

Mark Frauenfelder, BoingBoinger, freelancer and one of my correspondents in a previous life, quoted me in his latest column in the mobile Internet news site The Feature:

To find out more, I spoke to nanotechnology expert Howard Lovy, the principal author of a new report on nanostorage that was issued this week by the market research firm, NanoMarkets.

Lovy told me the one big advantage of MRAM is instant access. Compared to hard drives and flash memory, which are relatively slow, MRAM is speedy. It's not as fast as SRAM, but unlike SRAM, MRAM is nonvolatile, which means the data doesn't go "poof!" when the power is cut off. MRAM could give mobile phones a much-desired instant-on (and off!) capability.

MRAM also uses a lot less power than solid-state memory since it doesn't have to be continuously refreshed. It only uses power when it is being accessed, and even then, it only needs a small amount. Another advantage is the ultra-high storage capacities that are achievable. "It brings us into the terabyte territory," says Lovy. Were talking not just your entire music library on a chip, but the entire Library of Congress on a sugar cube." More here.

NanoBot Backgrounder
Money for Memory
My 64-bits worth
Thanks for the nanomemories, Intel

Update: Engadget is running a new storage medium roundup. But, then, they blow it by being so hip and more cynical than thou that they fail to see the difference between real technology and chicken sh_t.

Nanotech gets the keys to the lexicon

Just learned this from young nano-apprentice D.F. Moore: Coming soon in the 11th edition of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, sandwiched in between "MP3" and "pleather," is this brand spankin' new entry:

nanotech (noun) 1991 : nanotechnology (Also: nanotechnological (adjective) and nanotechnologist

So, kids, you can now officially use the shortened "nanotech." If your English teacher gives it a red mark, just show them this entry. I've talked to more than a few nanotechnology researchers, though, and not one of them has used the term "nanotechnologist." But it's a wide-open profession. Everybody from a garment worker to a ski wax producer can call himself or herself a nanotechnologist.

Related Posts
NanoBots as envisioned by Encarta
*:nanotechnology - OneLook Dictionary Search
NanoFroogle

Gonna send you back to nano schoolin'

This announcement for a Microsystems and Nanotechnology Masters postgraduate diploma from Cranfield University in the U.K. reminded me that I should probably review some of the education-related links I've collected. This is by no means complete, and there's a mix here of K-12 to undergrad to postgrad, but I'll throw this out there and let you kids take it from there.

One project that I'm working on, by the way, is further coverage of ambitious plans to completely revamp K-12 education in keeping with the National Nanotechnology Initiative's focus on "converging technologies."

I don't expect it would be easy to get teachers to agree that physics, chemistry, computer science, biology all should be taught at the same time, but the idea of stressing interrelationships could go a long way toward convincing students that these separate disciplines do have applications beyond the next test.

I come from a family of osteopathic physicians, so I've always had this sense of how individual systems do not work for their own sake, but contribute to the total health of the body. The study of nanotechnology can and should work the same way.

OK. Here are the links:

The Nanotechnology Group Inc., Nano High, Nano Student, NanoKids, Nanopolis, It's a Nano World, NNI Education Center, NanoHouse, NanoTruck, Stanford Nanotechnology, MIT Tiny Technology, Nano-World, Molecular Expressions, Free Nanotechnology Course, FutureLab, NanoBiotechnology Center at Cornell, WorkingIn Nanotechnology/Education, Vega Science Trust, Center for Science and Engineering Nanoscale Systems, Albany School of Nanosciences and nanoengineering, International Center for Young Scientists, Institute of Nanotechnology (UK), National NanoScience and Technology Institute, NanoScience and Technology Studies, NASA Institute for Nanotechnology and Computing, Institute of Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology (Hong Kong), MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology (New Zealand), Center for Nanotechnology (UW), MTP Nanoscale Science and Technology, International Master in Nanotechnologies, Nanostrukturtechnik

This Just In: Discovery Kids on NBC will feature a show, "Strange Days at Blake Holsey High," in which the kids "wrestle with the powerful forces of science, from cold fusion to nano-technology." Hmmm. Thanks, NBC. I think. More here.

NanoSecond

The Green Goo (Project Trinity: I-I, SDi, Neurotechnology)

There will always be threats posed by emerging technology. The risks get bigger as each techno-economic wave builds upon its predecessors. So the more reason we have to pay extra attention to the upcoming Nano and/or Neuro. "The higher that we climb, the more the ladder sways." More

NanoBot Backgrounder
Nano on the brain
Engines of Obfuscation
It's easy being nano and green

Israeli universities to share nanotech research funding (Haaretz)

The government and the country's universities plan to invest $11.3 million in nanotechnology research in 2004-2005. … The investment, to be made through the National Research Infrastructure Forum, is the first stage of a five-year plan drawn up by the National Committee on Nanotechnology. The plan calls for investing $25-30 million in nanotechnology infrastructure over the next five years. More

NanoBot Backgrounder
Peres, Peace and Purification
The Domi-Nano Theory
Israel and Iran going nano

'There have been rumours that nanotechnology could create robots that would devour the world' (The Independent)

It comes to me as rather a shock to find that I am on the same side as Greenpeace and Prince Charles on an environmental issue. They suggest, as a recent article in Science reports, that we should be worrying about the environmental dangers of nanotechnology and applying the precautionary principle. More

NanoBot Backgrounder
British Equation
For greener planet, remove people; results may vary
Rebuttal from Greenpeace's scientific adviser

High school goes high tech (Albany Times Union)

As the Capital Region tries to reinvent itself as Tech Valley, it stands to reason there would be a high school of the same name. And so planners … have come up with an ambitious plan for a 400-student, $30 million Tech Valley High School, whose curriculum would include intensive internships and other projects with local high-tech firms. … "We've modeled this on what the University at Albany is doing with its nanotechnology." More

NanoBot Backgrounder
Venezuelan natural nano resource
Investing in NanoFutures
Do you know where your children are?

Nanotechnology's promise (The Washington Times)

Like many developing technologies, nanotechnology is likely to be a source of many marvels and menaces. The latter have been better publicized than the former, so it is surprising that most Americans still have a positive view of nanotechnology. A new poll should encourage policy-makers to continue to foster the field's growth, especially given its vast potential. More

NanoBot Backgrounder
Do you care how nano plays in Peoria?
Bucky rage and 'imaginative commentators'
Nano Goulash

Nano Meme Watch

Here's how nano played in the blogosphere today. Alert level: Jade

Get rich quick #143563433 (New Links)

Nano-technology is where it's at. Not since the dotcom era has it been so easy to make lots of moolah with minimum effort. I reckon. More

Public attitudes toward nanotechnology (InstaPundit)

Despite lacking concrete knowledge about nanotechnology, most Americans hold a generally positive view of the emerging science and believe the technology’s potential benefits outweigh its perceived risks. At the same time, most Americans do not trust business leaders in the nanotechnology industry to minimize potential risks to humans. More

Fantastic Voyage at Amazon (fightaging.org)

One of the most respected scientists and futurists in America teams up with an expert on human longevity, to show how we can tap today's revolution in biotechnology and nanotechnology to virtually live forever. More

Hackers on Planet Earth (TECHPopuli)

Also under discussion at the conference were fun ways to harass spammers. Some even discussed plans to build a Hogwarts for Hackers -- a national security college that would teach young adults security skills like lock picking, encryption, rewriting software in cars, running pirate radio stations and building nanotech labs from things stashed in the closet or basement. More

Do you care how nano plays in Peoria?

This promo for the next "Nanotechnology Opportunity Report" sounds like it covers many of the same issues that you read on this Weblog. The difference? Electronic copy of Opportunity Report: $3,995.00; electronic copy of the NanoBot: $0,000.00

I never claimed to be an expert in making money for myself.

Here's a question, though, and give it to me straight: What kind of nanotechnology information would you pay for that's not already being provided by others? My specialty is not the financial analysis. Others do that better than me. I think part of the appeal of this blog is that I try to look at the science, business, culture and politics of nanotechnology from the point of view of those outside the industry, and I think public perception is going to become an increasingly important issue -- especially in Europe.

I have a mix of readers, ranging from college students to scifi geeks to government, business and financial leaders. Anecdotally, I know that many readers in the latter three categories value this site because it's important to them how nano "plays in Peoria."

Do you care? Most of all, would you subscribe? Let me know.

Are nanoparticle studies 'one decade late'?

ETC Group Executive Director Pat Mooney, in a recent paper discussing nanotechnology regulatory issues, brings up a reasonable point:

“Ironically, governments are talking about the need to be proactive, failing to admit that they’re at least one decade late: nanotech products are already commercially available and laboratory workers and consumers are already being exposed to nanoparticles that could pose serious risks to people and the environment.”

It's a question I've posed to a handful of nanotech government, business and academic leaders over the past few years, including Sean Murdock, head of the NanoBusiness Alliance; and Kevin Ausman, executive director of the Center for Biological and Environmental Nanotechnology at Rice University.

Here's what I asked Ausman:

Lovy: Do you think this is developing the way it should? At the same time you're studying the health and environmental effects of this stuff, nanotubes are being churned out. Do you think the industry is developing faster than the research into the impact?

Kevin Ausman: I think that the technology is developing faster than the impact research. I think that, however, the technology for any new field normally develops faster than the impact research. And compared to that normal curve, we're ahead of it. We are developing impact research far ahead of where you would expect it to happen.

And here's a snippet of my late-2003 interview with Murdock in Chicago, when he was still executive director of regional nano group AtomWorks. I knew at the time that he was a likely successor for NanoBusiness Alliance co-founder Mark Modzelewski and asked my questions with this in mind.

Lovy: I asked the same question of Kevin Ausman: Do you think the business of nanotech is progressing faster than the research into its risks? Do you think it's progressing the way it should? Titanium dioxide (nanoparticles) has been out there since 1995. Now, CBEN is studying its effects in various situations. Fullerenes are being produced in Japan right now. CBEN is studying their effects now. Is it too late?

Sean Murdock: Let me disaggregate that. Some things you can test for in advance. Some things you can only test as you see products used. Sometimes products are used in unexpected ways … but it's hard to know what those are until you start to have a product in use until see how people are using it. So, that's what I'm saying. It's the type of risk that we're talking about.

Do I think there should be research that's ongoing in terms of the effects of nanoparticles on toxicity. Yes, I think that's at CBEN, I that's happening elsewhere. In the grand scheme of things, it's not like we have megatons of production of nanoparticles that are getting dispersed all over the world right now. Is there some production that's taking place? Yes.

Lovy: Are you saying it's a nonissue today, or an overblown issue?

Murdock: No, I'm saying it's an issue that we need to look at, balance and try to assess. I'm saying that the way that some people have tried to create fear around it, that it could kill us all and do that kind of thing, doesn't reflect the rate at which these things can propagate.

Lovy: But is the study of environmental and health effects of nanomaterials almost an afterthought?

Murdock: No, I would strongly disagree there because it was embedded within the NNI (National Nanotechnology Initiative) plan from the outset. There was a societal and ethical implications workshop back in 2000.

Lovy: Do you think groups like CBEN would have received as much funding and attention now had the alarm not been sounded by groups like ETC and Greenpeace? Do you think that they fired an opening shot that forced the issue sooner than in might have otherwise been dealt with?

Murdock: I don't know that it forced the issue sooner than it would have been dealt with. People looked at this and said, "Look, there are some issues with AgBioTech, we didn't manage the public, didn't think about unintended consequences and we're going to manage it proactively. We're going to be on top of it." The design, from the outset, of the NNI recognized that and had intended to draw these issues. Now, if you're asking, "Has it heightened attention on the issue?" The CBEN (grant) was awarded before ETC Group came out with anything.

NanoBot Backgrounder
Safety and health group launches nano page
Nano's 'No GMO' Mantra
Meet the new nanoboss

Here's the plain deal on biomedical nanobots

This just in from The Plain Dealer in Cleveland, running a Newhouse News Service story:

Today, scientists envision ever-longer lives, boosted by experimental techniques like these:

Nanotechnology, which sends tiny robots into the body to strike disease, managing molecules and potentially slowing or even stopping aging. More here

Wow. One week out of a nanotech newsroom, and I guess I've missed some important developments. Apparently, the little robots have migrated from the pants to the rest of the body, striking at disease. The "slowing or even stopping aging" phase is only a "potential" benefit.

In reality, nanoparticles are being called into action in the fight against disease. If you want to call them, "tiny robots," that sounds cool, I guess, if you broaden your definition of "robot" a bit. Thanks to the Fresh Prince, robots are again the subject of public fascination and horror, which fits right in with the current state of the nano meme.

Combinex, a product by Advanced Magnetics Inc. (AMEX: AVM, News, Discussion, Web site) doesn't exactly involve "tiny robots," but it does use iron oxide nanoparticles as an imaging agent to help differentiate between healthy and cancerous lymph nodes. AVM is in the process of seeking U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval.

And you know how some groups have managed to successfully paint buckyballs as an evil cancer-causing agent that damages fish and fetuses. Well, in reality, they hold the key to possible cancer treatments or cures, with companies like C Sixty leading the way with preclinical trials and a partnership with at least one fairly significant drug company.

And Australia-based Starpharma is conducting FDA-approved clinical trials of VivaGel, which contains another kind of manmade molecule called the dendrimer, as a treatment for or precaution against HIV or other sexually transmitted diseases. Last November, the company sought volunteers (PDF, 88 KB) for its Phase I study. Starpharma's dendrimer intellectual property comes courtesy of Michigan's Dendritic Nanotechnologies Inc., headed by dendrimer inventor Donald Tomalia, profiled in a previous NanoBot post.

There's more, but you get the idea.

If the Plain Dealer wants to get the scoop on the real "tiny robots," they should send a reporter to an event in their own town Oct. 25-26. The Cleveland Clinic's NanoMedicine Summit. Yes, Cleveland not only rocks, but it's also a world center for nanobiotechnology. The event is part of NANO Week, Oct. 25-29. Recently added to the lineup is "Nanoparticles: Synthesis, Functionalization and Applications for Targeted Drug Delivery." Translation: "Tiny robots" that "strike disease."

OK, Plain Dealer. I take it back. You're right on target.

NanoBot Backgrounder
Nanobots: Body and antibody
Cancer death to cancer detection
Carlo's just a copycat

NanoSecond

Hundreds of firms using nanotech in food (Independent.co.uk)

Two hundred companies are already working on inserting nanotechnology into food, posing "immense" risks to health, new research claims.

The study estimates that use of the technology in food has created an industry, now worth more than £1bn, which will grow within six years to more than £10bn, with thousands of firms involved. More

NanoBot Backgrounder
A Game of Risk
Nano's 'No GMO' Mantra
U.K. recognizes importance of perception
'The hype and the fear'

Holy Flying Nanotubes! (PhysOrg.com)

Diamonds are the hardest known substance. Carbon nanotubes are the strongest. Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory tried to combine the best of both worlds by creating a composite nanostructure. They wanted to grow tiny carbon tubes with tiny diamonds.

But the results were not as expected.

Instead, the experiment altered the surface area of the nanotubes, creating wing-like extensions. Even though the result wasn't what the experimenters were looking for, these modified surfaces may push nanotubes further into the world of practical and applied materials and systems. More.

NanoBot Backgrounder
Nanotube Business 101
Buy-in-the-sky scheme
Nanotubes and the tale of the rats

Nanosys

Nanosys, Nanosys, Nanosys

NanoBot Backgrounder
Thanks for the nanomemories, Intel
IPO and Public Perception
Initial Perilous Offering

New SF Bay Economic Study (Economic Development Futures Web Journal)

… the Bay Area is "well positioned" in the industries likely to spawn new technology start-ups. The region has the highest concentration of biotechnology firms in the country and more nanotechnology firms than all countries except Germany … More

NanoBot Backgrounder
Sen. Clinton on nano-inequities and nano-economics
Nano sure is a piece of work
It's the nano economy, stupid

NANO on NewsHour

  

Your NanoBot is always working for you. This evening, Max and I were sitting down for a nice evening bottle, flipped on PBS NewsHour and found this special report on nanotechnology.  So, without Max missing so much as a gulp, I continued to cradle the baby in my left arm, held the bottle with the right, but in my left hand was my Motorola camera phone. I hope PBS doesn't mind me running these pictures snapped off my TV.

The report focused on the UCLA NANO art exhibit, but then gave a basic rundown of what nanotech is and, as you can see from the photo at bottom right, what some fear it could be. UCLA nanoscientist James Gimzewski (top right) was the story's main source, and he did an outstanding job not only of showing his own excitement about the science, but also explaining it in understandable terms. It was a great report about a significant effort to bring nano to the people and outline some of the problems associated with describing or picturing a technology that cannot be seen.

I'm also very proud, of course, that I had assigned Mark Frauenfelder (of BoingBoing fame) to cover this story for Small Times, which featured it on the Web site only on Feb. 12.

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Not Yet Maid: Local resident and giant corporations racing to create helpers of tomorrow (Star-Telegram.com)

Researchers today dream big. They want robots that not only walk but climb, swim and fly.

SRI International, which operates one of the country's leading robotics research centers, is developing artificial muscles that give robots the ability to perform those feats. They hope their technologies will make the stars of I, Robot someday look primitive. ...

(Regis) Vincent (senior research scientist for SRI) said many may fear the creation of sophisticated robots will destroy a large base of the job market. He insists, though, that robots taking over mundane jobs will be beneficial, because "robots don't get bored and it will free humans up to do other things."

More importantly, he said robots will complete tasks that people cannot. He said they will build and repair space stations and they will arrive on Mars to pave the way for humans. Nano-robots will repair damaged organs. More here

Nanobot Backgrounder
Prosaic Potty-Cleaning Nanoparticles
NanoBots as envisioned by Encarta
Nanobots: Body and antibody

NanoPundits unite

Looks like a lot of shy, wallflower types who are afraid to voice their opinions are going to spend a few days together in D.C. at the Foresight Institute's 1st Conference on Advanced Nanotechnology: Research, Applications, and Policy.

Glenn Reynolds and I are co-chairs for Sunday, Oct. 24. Dullsville. Also speaking that day is Tim Harper of Cientifica. Yawwwn. Booorrrinngggg. But, you know, I wonder why the Foresight folks scheduled Harper to speak on a different day than Chris Phoenix? Now THAT would be exciting. Get your press pass now.

And speaking of nanotech policy, there's some good stuff at Nanodot, including a new essay by Eric Drexler (fearless leader, I will obey) and rantings by this wacko.

NanoSecond

Nanotech funding . . . and caution? (AndrewSW)

Fortunately, Prince Charles emphasizes the sort of balance that is needed. And yet, it is quite clear that it is easy to spin things any which way, and sometimes that happens to royalty too as apparently, due to past statements, anything he says in terms of caution will now fuel a sense that he is anti-science. More

NanoBot Backgrounder
Sent to the Precautionary Principle's Office
Subterranean Nano Blues
Ministry of NanoTruth

Nanotech Is Wall Street's Latest Love (Associated Press)

The chief executive of Nano-Tex LLC warned about the mounting hype around his company and other nanotechnology startups at a recent investor conference. But the first question from the audience showed how his message had been digested.

"When is your IPO?" More

NanoBot Backgrounder
Initial Perilous Offering
Nanopants diary
IPO and Public Perception

Indian science students dream of Nobel (123Barath.com)

After meeting a host of Nobel laureates in Germany, a group of Indian students has returned dreaming of winning the world's greatest prize.

… The trip, from June 27 to July 2, was a meeting ground for students from across the world with Nobel Prize winners in Physics like Riccardo Glacconi and Masatoshi Koshiba.

Between them they discussed subjects like nano-technology, nuclear physics, optics, astrophysics and even utilization of solar energy.

"We met Chinese students and Pakistani students and so many more, and we discovered that we are as good as anyone in the world," said Harleen Dahiya of Panjab University.

"Only some of them have more facilities than us." More

NanoBot Backgrounder
QuoteBot (Douglas Mulhall)
Indian Americans shining in nanotechnology
Indian Institutes to focus on nano

Money for Memory

Here's a press release that links to a white paper that previews a report on nanomemory and nanostorage that I wrote for NanoMarkets. Here's an excerpt from the release:

"According to NanoMarkets, nanotechnology may soon have the solution to the burgeoning need for data storage. Today, the lowest hanging fruit for nanotechnology is materials. But as nanotubes become commoditized, the "next-hanging fruits" will be found in the memory sector. Here, at last, is where nanotechnology can move beyond mere technological curiosity and begin the true nature of its calling as a technological enabler, disruptor and . . . moneymaker."

See? I can be all about nanobusiness when I want to.

Fisk and Chips

This just in at NanoBot World Headquarters ...

"The government is to announce a radical new scheme to reduce the amount of time Britons spend in queues, DeadBrain has learned. ... Under the new scheme all people residing in the UK will have a small microchip implanted in the left ear lobe. The chip will carry the bearer's biometric data and banking information. ... The government official said that it is estimated that approximately 104,000 civil servants will be needed to operate the scheme. He added that in deference to *, the Royal formerly known as Prince Charles, the microchip will not use nanotechnology, or lead to any genetic modification of its bearer." More Here.

That's What NanoFriends Are For

Monday was among the most-memorable days of my career. It's during times of crisis that you can see who your real friends are. The outpouring of support has just been great and I've been getting all sorts of offers, including some opportunities at major publications. Looks like my readership is about to increase greatly.

If you've written to me and haven't yet received a response, I'll try to get to everybody soon. But, to all, thanks again for your help, advice and words of encouragement. Here are a few excerpts from the more-public expressions of support:

"Howard is a top-notch editor and writes about nano with a rare combination of insight, intelligence, clarity, and wit. I can't wait to see what he does next! In just one year, his personal blog, Howard Lovy's NanoBot has become essential reading for anyone interested in nanotechnology, from the deepest nanohackers to future-minded laypeople."
David Pescovitz, writing in BoingBoing

"We at Foresight all wish Howard excellent success in his new career as a freelancer--send some assignments his way!"
Christine Peterson, president, Foresight Institute, writing in Nanodot

IF YOU'RE AN EDITOR, you should hire Howard Lovy. He's an excellent, honest, and careful reporter and writer. It's not like there's a surplus of those!
Glenn Reynolds, InstaPundit

"Mr. Lovy is a tireless supporter and reporter of nanotechnology and I am positive that he will flourish in his freelance career and provide wonderful insight into the nanotech world."
Daniel Moore

"Howard Lovy is one of the best writers on the subject of nanotech, he has a remarkable ability to explain things that are really complex."
Jeff Nolan, Palo Alto venture capitalist

"Howard Lovy wisely clams up …"
TNTlog

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Sorry, Charlie

Charles, Chuck, Chuckle, Chuckle, Chas., Chas., Chas.

Related Post
British Equation

Happy Birthday, NanoBot

It was one year ago today ...

Thank You, NanoWorld

I just can't thank Glenn Reynolds (aka InstaPundit) enough for his post and kind words yesterday. The response was wonderful and, well, instant.

Just a few hours into my new freelance career, and offers were coming in to write for various publications. Not to mention the many, many notes I've received from supporters around the world. You all gave me reason to hope at the end of a very emotional day.

I'm not going to say anything more about my departure from Small Times. I'd much rather focus on the future. If you've tried to reach me at my work address, I no longer have access to it, so please send notes to howard@lovy.com. Thank you all again for your words of encouragement.

Now, it's back to my writing, but keep your eye on this site for more news and more changes.

British Equation

Prince Charles now pooh-poohs grey goo as rubbish. Everybody knows that nano equals thalidomide. Thalidomide? Yes, thalidomide. HRH Chuck doesn't believe self-replicating nanobots will destroy the world, but hints that nanotech could merely create something similar to a generation of deformed children.

Update: I got into a mini-debate over this post with blogger Anne Galloway over this issue. Here's what she said and I said:

I read those articles as well Howard but, IMHO, you make a bit of a leap in logic here.

Charles implied that a lack of "appropriate care and humility" played a significant role in the "upset" around thalidomide use - and warned against that sort of irresponsible science happening again. Nowhere does that suggest that "nano equals thalidomide" or that nanotech "could create something similar to a generation of deformed children".

Anne

Of course that's what he meant to imply -- just as George Bush said the words "mushroom cloud" and "Saddam" in the same sentence. You juxtapose the two ideas, then stand back and let the public make the leap for you.

The thing is, this is apples and oranges. thalidomide was one specific drug. Nanotechnology is not any one technology at all. It's a scale, a process. It's not any one thing.

To say there should be a moratorium on it is silly, or to say you're opposed to it or even for it is equally ludicrous. It'd be like saying you're for or against the arrival of August.

Of course there should be proper safeguards and testing of any new technology, process, product or drug. But to say "halt all nanotechnology research" in the name of precaution is akin to asking for all scientific research to be halted. Everything is converging on the nanoscale.

The harm to individuals and nations could be far-reaching if we suddenly put a stop to important nanoscale research in the search for cancer, AIDS, SARS and other cures -- not to mention possible solutions to equitable distribution of resources through water desalination and purification.

Nanotechnology is not biotech. It's merely a process by which the basic building blocks of nature can be used to put right what humans have already ruined.

It's ironic and baffling to me that the environmental movement is not embracing nanotechnology as their own cause, since it's about as "organic" a technology as you can get. This is how we can clean up the mess we have created.

Howard

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