This new method produced nanotubes that measured 20 centimeters, much longer than conventional nanotubes, said Pulickel Ajayan.

This is quite different from "We have created strands with nearly aligned nanotubes that are as long as 20 centimeters. The nanotubes are well ordered in these structures and are self-assembled during the growth process," according to the press release the first link points to.

Doesn't this refer to the length of strands of nanotubes, as opposed to individual nanotubes? The Science article itself gives me the same impression, that the actual length of the nanotubes is unknown while the nanotube bundles are 20 cm long.

It's still a huge improvement over having to manually organize the nanotubes into long cables, though.

I also live in hope, but I wish nano advances were quicker. Humans need to decentralise, or face grave conflict on Earth.

I want to use the space elevators, to help escape from the surface. There are way too many people spoiling the Earth's ecology from which I depend, sharing the same space.

I want to build my own ecology, away from others. I want organically contructed protection, not a mechanical spacecraft, when I begin my long journey to another star system. At this time I will have peace and freedom.

Cool. Now maybe they can be made long enough to test this paper, which claims that long strands of multiwall tubes may be superconducting at over 400K.

Almost seems too good to be true, but I live in hope.