from the alternative-chemistries dept.
Brian Wang spotted this interesting item in Electronic Engineering Times on boron nitride nanostructures: "Northwestern University research has delivered the world's first nanotubes, -cones and -spheres constructed from boron nitride rather than the usual carbon. Single-walled boron-nitride (BN) nanostructures are hypothetically stronger and lighter than steel, but were only recently demonstrated here by professor Laurence Marks. Once BN nanostructures are embedded into polymers, they could serve to ruggedize the surface of metal parts, as well as form the basis for oxidation-proof coating. BN nanostructures have been hypothesized since carbon buckyballs were first built in the 1980s. But previous evidence of BN nanostructures was limited to multiwalled nanotubes, concentric fullerenes and nano-arches, the images for which were obtained only after the samples had been exposed to air, contaminating them with artifacts."

from the Big-bugs-have-little-bugs dept.
Waldemar Perez calls our attention to an article on NanoElectroMechanical Systems (NEMS) in Technology Review Magazine ("NEMS: Machines Get Tiny," by David Voss, April 2001). In his opinion, Mr. Perez writes, "NEMS research promises to give us machines on the nanometer scale, [but this is] exactly there were critics argue Brownian motion will destroy them or make these machines unworkable and unreliable . . . these first generation NEMS prototypes will suffer from high wear (a well known problem on MEMS) until we can incorporate into them Drexler-type nanobearings and other devices."

from the let's-think-twice dept.

Ralph Merkle, Principal Fellow at Zyvex, and Glenn Reynolds, who sits on the Foresight Board of Directors, were quoted extensively in a United Press International article ("Nanotech laws unlikely, say experts," by K. Hearn, 24 February 2001) on the potential for governmental regulation of nanotechnology. Both discounted the possibility, at least in the near future.

An online link to this article is not currently available. But Read more for a few excerpts . . .

from the Out-in-the-Open dept.

Thanks to coverage in Salon.com, and discussion on Slashdot.org — Foresightís new project to protect open source from patents — has been announced a bit ahead of schedule.

The Salon article ("Patents are your friends," by Damien Cave; 21 March 2001) sums things up pretty well:
"The Foresight Institute, a nonprofit nanotechnology think tank, will announce later this month that it is forming an alliance with IP.com, a Rochester, N.Y., start-up dedicated to protecting intellectual property through the publication of new ideas. Together . . . the pair will give open-source programmers and projects the chance to work within the patent system even as they strive to overturn it."

Read more for details . . .

from the bad-signal-to-noise-ratio dept.
MarkGubrud writes of his encouter with Lyle Burkhead's "geniebusters" site: "From a post to the Mind-X bulletin board at Ray Kurzweil's splashy new website, we learn of the existence of an actual "critique" of the idea of nanotechnology, specifically as described by Drexler and followers of his ideas. Since the absence in the literature of any scholarly papers examining Nanosystems or other published scholarly work on the theory of assembler-based nanotech stands in glaring contrast to the offhand dismissal of this body of work by some famous scientists and science journalists, I was eager to have a look at this putative coup de grace, at www.geniebusters.org.

"I find that this website makes a number of interesting points, but fails to support its overall position, which is an aggressive denunciation of Eric Drexler's Engines of Creation and the idea of assembler-based nanotechnology."

Editor's Note: Burkhead's site has been up on the web for some time (well over a year), but his "critique" hasn't generated much interest. Read more from Mark Gubrud's comments to see why . . .

from the Up-close-and-personal dept.
Cornell Magazine recently ran an article that gives an in-depth survey of the nanotechnology-related research programs at Cornell University, in Ithaca, N.Y. (ìSize Matters,î by Beth Saulnier, Jan/Feb 2001). Cornell is home to the Nanobiotechnology Center and the Cornell Nanofabrication Facility. While acknowledging the pioneering roles of Richard Feynman and Eric Drexler in the field, the article also contains some rather disparaging remarks from Cornell researchers who remain skeptical of the long-term potential of molecular nanotechnology. Still, itís an interesting look at the people, facilities, research and outlook at one of the major nanotechnology research institutions in the United States.

from the Poetry-in-action dept.

Senior Associate Paul Melnyk calls our attention to a forward-looking address ("Dream to Make Something Happen") delivered by David O. Swain, Senior VP of Engineering & Technology for The Boeing Company, and also president of Phantom Works, the research and development organization of the company. The talk was delivered last October at the ASM International Materials Solutions Conference.
"Nanoscale science and engineering most likely will produce the strategic technology breakthroughs of tomorrow," Swain said. "Our ability to work at the molecular level, atom by atom, to create something new, something we could manufacture from the 'bottom up,' opens up huge vistas . . . There are huge possibilities." Swain concluded his address with a "call for action." He said: "I believe in what poet Carl Sandburg wrote: 'Nothing happens unless you first dream.' We need to dream again. Dream about new formulas, new metals, new materials. Dream about nanoscience, nanoengineering, nanotechnology. Dream about the possibilities, the opportunities, and then make our dreams come true. Then, and only then, can we unlock exciting frontiers with our discoveries."

ASM is a society for professionals concerned with industry, technology and applications of metals and materials, and has over 40,000 members who are engineers, managers, scientists, researchers, teachers, students, marketers, equipment manufacturers and suppliers. The Institute for Molecular Manufacturing co-sponsored a special session dedicated to molecular nanotechnology at the same conference. Swain's address and the IMM-sponsored session helped provide an overview of molecular nanotechnology to a part of the materials community that has been largely insulated from progress in this area.

from the The-gods-themselves-contend-in-vain dept.

An article on an emerging global anti-technology movement appears on the web site of Reason Magazine ("Rebels Against the Future: Witnessing the birth of the global anti-technology movement," 28 February 2001). Reason Science Correspondent Ronald Bailey reports on the International Forum on Globalization's "Teach-In on Technology and Globalization," held in New York City in late February.

According to Bailey, "If it's new, they hate it. What they fear and loathe most is biotechnology, but now some are beginning to train their sights on nanotechnology as well."

After detailing the presentations of what he describes as "an all-star cast of technophobes and other rebels against the future, featuring proud self-declared luddites," Bailey concludes, "The hopeful future of humanity freed from disease, disability, hunger, ignorance, poverty, and inequity depends on beating back the forces of know-nothing reaction such as those assembled at this weekend's Teach-In. The struggle for the future begins now."

from the Inventing-the-Future dept.

Foresight benefactor and associate MG Taylor will hold a TANSTAAFL DesignShop Event, "Coding the Transparent Society," on May 8-10 in Palo Alto, California, bringing together a community of people concerned with impact of the advent of the Internet, an "Information Revolution that will alter global societies as dramatically as the invention of the printing press over 500 years ago . . . The decisions we make regarding the design of cyberspace will have an ever greater impact on our everyday lives in the years to come."
You are invited to participate in the event, where critical issues concerning the future of society and of the global information infrastructure will be discussed, solutions explored and next steps designed.

Read More for a sampling of issues on the table . . .

from the Better,-Faster,-Cheaper dept.
PatrickUnderwood brings our attention to this remarkable story on ABCnews/Go.com:

Mariangela Lisanti, a high school student from Westport, CT, has been named as this yearís winner of the Intel Science Talent Search. She was awarded a $100,000 college scholarship.
Lisanti, who as already compiled an impressive resume, entered a physics project titled "Conductance Quantization in Gold Nanocontacts." She is the third young woman in a row to win the top prize in the Intel competition. Lisantiís work was conducted at Yale University under the guidance of Prof. Mark Reed, Chair of the Electrical Engineering department and a leading researcher in the field of molecular electronics. To better understand electron transport in tiny nanostructures, Lisanti developed a new measurement apparatus that enables data acquisition at an unprecedented rate and is applicable to a wide range of studies. Additional details are available on the Yale web site.
Amazingly, this is the second award of $100,000 Ms. Lisanti has received: She was also winner in the Siemens Westinghouse Science & Technology Competition in December 2000.

from the Bring-your-questions dept.

The Stanford GSB Futurist Club will present a WIRED Conversation with Bill Joy, titled "Nirvana or Nightmare? Exploring the Technological Future," on Thursday, 5 April 2001.
Joy, cofounder and chief scientist of Sun Microsystems, will discuss his controversial Wired essay, "Why The Future Doesn't Need Us," (April 2000) with Katrina Heron, Editor in chief of Wired Magazine, followed by Q&A with the audience. Joy's essay, which has sparked heated debate in science, technology, ethics and policy circles since its publication, argues that imminent advances in genetics, robotics, and nanotechnology may pose grave threats to the future of humankind.

The event will be held at 5:30 pm on Thursday, 5 April 2001, in the Bishop Auditorium of the Graduate School of Business on the Stanford University campus. RSVP by Monday, 2 April to joyevent@wiredmag.com.

from the STM-nano-fabrication dept.

John Faith points out an article in EE Times in which Japanese nanotechnology research scientist Masakazu Aono, head of the surface and interface laboratory at Japan's Institute of Physical and Chemical Research, claims his team is now only months away from developing Japan's first single-electron tunneling transistor capable of operating at room temperature ("Researchers close in on single-atom switch," by P.Kallender, 7 March 2001).

The transistor Aono is developing consists of three, 3-nanometer-wide "wires" that act as a source and a drain, each separated from a well containing a 10-atom-diameter cluster of 500 silver atoms that acts as a capacitor. On the other side of the separation lies the gate, which sits 4 nm from the capacitor, with the whole unit resting on a graphite substrate. The circuit works by exploiting the difference in the quantum conductance potentials created between the source drain and the capacitor. When carrying a single electron, current can flow through source and drain, said Aono, but 1 volt placed at the gate adds a second electron to the capacitor, thus raising its potential and closing the circuit.
"We can make an atomic switch in a cluster of silver atoms," he said. "The island is so small we are talking about a one-electron effect circuit."

Read more for additional details . . .

from the Whatís-Up,-Doc? dept.

A brief overview of the emerging field of nanomedicine appeared in the prestigious British medical journal, The Lancet ("Macrodoctor, come meet the nanodoctors," by K.Morris, 10 March 2001). The article begins with the vision of advanced medical nanotechnology presented by Robert A. Freitas Jr. in Nanomedicine, then moves on to present examples of current research that is laying the foundations for the development of actual medical nanosystems. The article also addresses safety concerns, and makes note of the Foresight Guidelines for safe research and development of nanotechnology. As the article concludes, ìthe beauty of nanomedicine is that systems will be specifically designed then self-built, molecule by molecule, for any function, at any level down to the atom. Perhaps this is why the forward-thinking chair of Foresight, Eric Drexler, predicts that nanomedicine will dominate medical technology research for at least half this century.î

Note: Access to the online version of The Lancet is free, but requires registration.

from the One-dimensional-nanotechnology dept.

SaturnFX calls our attention to an interesting Georgia Tech press release on Science Daily. According to the release, researchers at the Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology have created a new class of nanometer-scale structure that could be the basis for inexpensive ultra-small sensors, flat-panel display components and other electronic nanodevices. The researchers claim these extremely thin and flat structures — made of semiconducting metal oxides and dubbed "nanobelts" — offer significant advantages over the nanowires and carbon nanotubes.

The ribbon-like nanobelts are chemically pure, structurally uniform and largely defect-free, with clean surfaces not requiring protection against oxidation. Each is made up of a single crystal with specific surface planes and shape. Typical width of the nanobelts is from 30 to 300 nanometers, with a thickness of 10-15 nanometers. Some have been produced in lengths of up to a few millimeters, though most are tens to hundreds of micrometers long. The work is described in the March 9 issue of Science.

"Current research in one-dimensional systems has largely been dominated by carbon nanotubes," said Zhong Lin Wang, professor of Materials Science and Engineering and director of the Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology at the Georgia Institute of Technology. "It is now time to explore other one-dimensional systems that may have important applications for nanoscale functional and smart materials. These nanobelts are the next step in developing structures that may be useful in wider applications."

The press release also appears on the Georgia Tech web site, with a link to images. The research was sponsored by Georgia Tech, and a provision patent application has been filed on the new structures.

from the what-world-leaders-heard dept.
In an International Herald Tribune item we learn more about what happened at WEF: "Mr. Joy discussed his thesis at a remarkable seminar during the recent World Economic Forum in Davos. He urged scientists to renounce research that could lead to what he considers 'a clear danger of extinction'…At least, he said, there ought to be a democratic opportunity for ordinary people to vote on whether they want this kind of research to continue. That is obviously impractical. We voters don't know enough about the subjects, and at the rate things are changing we will never have a chance to learn in time to make a sensible decision." CP: Technology is also developed in countries where the people don't get to vote. Read More for additional excerpts.

from the when-matter-becomes-software dept.
engeneOS in Cambridge, MA states in a press release: "The company is developing Engineered Genomic Operating Systems to enable the design and construction of programmable Biomolecular Machines employing natural and artificial building blocks. These Biomolecular Machines will serve a broad range of commercial applications including biosensors, chemical synthesis and processing, bio-electronic devices and materials, nanotechnology [emphasis added]…" CP: The team list is impressive.

from the quicker-than-"miniaturization" dept.
Christer Eriksson writes "'Nanization' seems quite an appropriate, simple word to discuss the miniaturization of technology we are, and will, be experiencing. Yet, the word never seems to be used in discussions about nanotechnology. I found the word in an eighteen year old British dictionary (Chambers Dictionary 1983) which describes it as 'artificial dwarfing.' I haven't seen it in any recent dictionaries as of yet."

from the "using-foresight-to-protect-the-environmental-future" dept.

The US Environmental Protection Agency is inviting applications for "Exploratory Research to Anticipate Future Environmental Issues" covering:

1. Exploratory Research in Nanotechnogy
2. Futures Research in Natural Sciences
3. Futures Research in Socio-Economics

The nanotech part encourages a range of MNT-type ideas, natural science futures hopes for novel solutions, while the socio-economic part requests fairly conventional trend analysis. Closing date for the Nanotechnogy Program ($5m available) is June 18, 2001. Read More for a quote from the nanotech RFA.