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Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Fwd: [ExI] The Nanogirl News ~



---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Gina Miller <nanogirl@halcyon.com>
Date: 2011/5/3
Subject: [ExI] The Nanogirl News ~
To: ExI chat list <extropy-chat@lists.extropy.org>



The Nanogirl News
5.3.2011
 
Researchers create terahertz invisibility cloak. Researchers at Northwestern University have created a new kind of cloaking material that can render objects invisible in the terahertz range. Though this design can't translate into an invisibility cloak for the visible spectrum, it could have implications in diagnostics, security, and communication. The cloak, designed by Cheng Sun, assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Northwestern's McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, uses microfabricated gradient-index materials to manipulate the reflection and refraction of light. Sun's results will be presented May 4 at CLEO: 2011, the annual Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics. (April.7.2011 EurekAlert): http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-04/nu-rct042711.php
 
Sandia and UNM lead effort to destroy cancers. Melding nanotechnology and medical research, researchers have produced an effective strategy that uses nanoparticles to blast cancerous cells with a melange of killer drugs. In the cover article of the May issue of Nature Materials, the researchers describe silica nanoparticles as honeycombed with cavities that can store large amounts and varieties of drugs. (April.18.2011 Sandia): https://share.sandia.gov/news/resources/news_releases/nano-treatment/
 
(Hopes for an artificial brain) Researchers create functioning synapse using carbon nanotubes. Engineering researchers the University of Southern California have made a significant breakthrough in the use of nanotechnologies for the construction of a synthetic brain. They have built a carbon nanotube synapse circuit whose behavior in tests reproduces the function of a neuron, the building block of the brain. (Physorg April 21.2011) http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-04-functioning-synapse-carbon-nanotubes.html
 
Paper that's stronger than steel? UTS Scientists have reported remarkable results in developing a composite material based on graphite that is a thin as paper and ten times stronger than steel.In work recently published in the Journal of Applied Physics, a UTS research team supervised by Professor Guoxiu Wang has developed reproducible test results and nanostructural samples of graphene paper, a material with the potential to revolutionize the automotive, aviation, electrical and optical industries.
 
The world's smallest wedding rings. Creating artificial structures from DNA is the objective of DNA nanotechnology. This new discipline, which combines biology, physics, chemistry and material science makes use of the ability of the natural DNA-strains' capacity for self assembly. Smileys or small boxes, measuring only 10s of nanometers (10 one-billionths of a meter) were created from DNA in a drop of water. Prof Alexander Heckel and his doctoral student Thorsten Schmidt from the "Cluster of Excellence for Macromolecular Complexes" at Goethe University were able to create two rings of DNA only 18 nanometers in size, and to interlock them like two links in a chain. (April.12.2011 R&D): http://www.rdmag.com/News/2011/04/Engineering-DNA-The-world-s-smallest-wedding-rings/
 
Dallas nanotechnology expert Jim Von Ehr giving keynote speech at Foresight Institute nanotech conference at Google HQ in June. One of the most notable things about Von Ehr is that, in addition to running his own company, he's deeply involved in investing in tech companies and addressing trends in the field, particularly in his own realm of nano. (April.27.2011 Dallas News): http://techblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2011/04/dallas-nanotechnology-expert-j.html

Nanoscience May Hold Key to Surgical Recovery. New nano-systems developed in York may eventually help patients recover from surgery without the danger of allergic reactions to drugs. Researchers from the University of York's Department of Chemistry have developed synthetic molecules capable of binding the chemical drug heparin, which they believe may provide an alternative to protamine.
 
New 'nanobead' approach could revolutionize sensor technology. Researchers at Oregon State University have found a way to use magnetic "nanobeads" to help detect chemical and biological agents, with possible applications in everything from bioterrorism to medical diagnostics, environmental monitoring or even water and food safety. When fully developed as a hand-held, portable sensor, like something you might see in a science fiction movie, it will provide a whole diagnostic laboratory on a single chip. The research could revolutionize the size, speed and accuracy of chemical detection systems around the world.
 
Collecting the sun's energy. Conventional silicon-based rigid solar cells generally found on the market are not suitable for manufacturing moldable thin-film solar cells, in which a transparent, flexible and electrically conductive electrode collects the light and carries away the current. A woven polymer electrode developed by Empa has now produced first results which are very promising, indicating that the new material may be a substitute for indium tin oxide coatings. (April.19.2011 Empa):
 
Nanotechnology-based Sunscreens Help Prevent Skin Cancers. The Nanodermatology Society (NDS), an organization led by physicians and focusing on applications of nanotechnology and dermatology in scientific and medical fields, has released a paper on the safety of nanotechnology application in sunscreens. Titanium dioxide and zinc oxide have been used in sunscreens. (April.25.2011 AZnano): http://www.azonano.com/news.aspx?newsID=22289
 
Origami DNA Advances Nanotechnology. While the primary job of DNA in cells is to carry genetic information from one generation to the next, some scientists also see the highly stable and programmable molecule as an ideal building material for nanoscale structures that could be used to deliver drugs, act as biosensors, perform artificial photosynthesis and more. (April.28.2011 Laboratory Equipment) http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news-origami-dna-advances-nanotechnology-042811.aspx
 
SanDisk Announces 19-Nanometer Manufacturing Technology. SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ: SNDK), the global leader in flash memory cards, today announced a 64-gigabit (Gb), 2-bits-per-cell (X2) based monolithic chip made on 19-nanometer (nm) technology, the most advanced memory process technology node in the world. This latest technology enables SanDisk to produce embedded and removable storage devices with the high capacities and small form factors used in mobile phones, tablet computers and other devices. (April.25.2011 Scandisk): http://www.sandisk.com/about-sandisk/press-room/press-releases/2011/2011-04-20-sandisk-announces-19-nanometer
 
The Etch-a-SketchTM of Microscopy Creates Single Electron Transistors. Researchers from Pitt, University of Wisconsin at Madison and HP Labs, again led by Levy, have used the Etch-a-SketchTMtechnique to build a single-electron transistor, which they have dubbed SketchSET (sketch-based single electron transistor). The research, which was initially published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology, marks the first time that a single-electron transistor has been made from oxide materials. (April.20.2011 IEE  Spectrum): http://spectrum.ieee.org/nanoclast/semiconductors/nanotechnology/the-etchasketchtm-of-microscopy-creates-single-electron-transistors
 
New Polymer Solar Power - Thermal Device Unveiled. A new polymer-based solar-thermal device developed by the Center for Nanotechnology and Molecular Materials at Wake Forest University can generate power from both heat and visible sunlight. The concept could potentially slash the cost of home heating by as much as 40 percent.
 
Nanotechnologists take lessons from nature.  "That is the lesson of nature, where a humble bacterial cell outperforms our best computer chips by a factor of 100 million, and it does this in part by being less than perfect." (April.28.2011 Vanderbilt University): http://news.vanderbilt.edu/2011/04/nanotechnologists-take-lessons-from-nature/
 
DNA Nanotechnology to Create Artificial Structures from DNA. Generating synthetic structures from DNA is the aim of DNA nanotechnology. This new field, which merges biology, physics, chemistry and material science utilizes the capability of the natural DNA-strains' ability for auto assembly. (AZnano April.18.2011)
http://www.azonano.com/news.aspx?newsID=22223
 
Johns Hopkins Cancer Nanotechnology Training Center (CNTC) launched. The war on cancer is fought on many fronts, even tiny, nanoscale ones. To train new scientists and engineers to combat the spread of cancer, Johns Hopkins Institute for NanoBioTechnology (INBT) has established a pre-doctoral (PhD) training program in Nanotechnology for Cancer Medicine. Together with the institute's previously established Nanotechnology for Cancer Medicine postdoctoral fellowship, these two training programs will comprise the Johns Hopkins Cancer Nanotechnology Training Center (CNTC). (nanowerk April.8.2011)
http://www.nanowerk.com/news/newsid=20934.php
 
IBM's MRSA Infection-Fighting Nanotechnology Caps Century of Healthcare Innovation.  Earlier this week, scientists from IBM Research announced ground breaking early research discovering new types of nanoparticles that are physically attracted like magnets to MRSA cells, ignoring healthy cells completely and targeting and killing the bacteria by poking holes in its walls. This discovery could greatly improve the effectiveness of medication. (PRNewswire April.7.2011) http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ibms-mrsa-infection-fighting-nanotechnology-caps-century-of-healthcare-innovation-119416349.html
 
Scientists make quantum breakthrough. "We have shown that when atoms in a vacuum chamber are guided inside a laser light beam, they too can create a speckle pattern - an image of which we have captured for the first time"...The team trapped a cloud of cold helium atoms at the focus of an intense laser beam pointed downwards at the imaging system, and then gradually turned down the laser intensity until the speckled image appeared. (April.20.2011 Physorg): http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-04-scientists-quantum-breakthrough.html

Molecular movements of neural transporters unveiled. A team of scientists from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and Weill Cornell Medical College has shed light on the molecular workings of transporter proteins, molecular machines embedded in the cell membranes of neurons that modulate the transfer of signals between cells and recycle neurotransmitters. (April.25.2011 nanowerk): http://www.nanowerk.com/news/newsid=21141.php
 
2 graphene layers may be better than 1. Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have shown that the electronic properties of two layers of graphene vary on the nanometer scale. The surprising new results reveal that not only does the difference in the strength of the electric charges between the two layers vary across the layers, but they also actually reverse in sign to create randomly distributed puddles of alternating positive and negative charges. (April.27.2011 e! Science News): http://esciencenews.com/articles/2011/04/27/2.graphene.layers.may.be.better.1?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+eScienceNews%2Fpopular+(e!+Science+News+-+Popular)
 
UCLA researchers now 1 step closer to controlled engineering of nanocatalysts. Yu Huang, assistant professor of material science and engineering at UCLA Engineering, and her team have demonstrated a rational approach to producing nanocrystals with predictable shapes. Huang's work could one day lead to the ability to rationally produce nanocatalysts with desired crystal surfaces and hence catalytic properties. (April.19.2011 University of California Los Angeles): http://www.engineer.ucla.edu/newsroom/featured-news/archive/2011/ucla-researchers-now-one-step-closer-to-controlled-engineering-of-nanocatalysts
 
Water molecules characterize the structure of DNA genetic material. Water molecules surround the genetic material DNA in a very specific way. Scientists at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) have discovered that, on the one hand, the texture of this hydration shell depends on the water content and, on the other hand, actually influences the structure of the genetic substance itself. These findings are not only important in understanding the biological function of DNA; they could also be used for the construction of new DNA-based materials. (April.26.2011 nanowerk): http://www.nanowerk.com/news/newsid=21156.php
 
Nanotechnology research 'could offer nickel allergy treatment option'. Scientists in the US have devised a potential new method of treating nickel allergies using a special type of nanoparticle. The team at Brigham and Women's Hospital have created a cream containing calcium-based particles measuring billionths of a metre in diameter, which can be applied to the skin of those affected by the common dermatological condition. (April.5.2011 Zenopa): http://www.zenopa.com/news/800488078/Nanotechnology_research__could_offer_nickel_allergy_treatment_option_
 
Quantum light successfully teleported. Researchers from Australia and Japan have successfully teleported wave packets of light, potentially revolutionizing quantum communications and computing. The team, led by researchers at the University of Tokyo, said this is the first-ever teleportation, or transfer, of a particular complex set of quantum information from one point to another. (April.15.2011 CBC news): http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2011/04/15/technology-quantum-teleportation.html
 
New DNA nanoforms take shape (w/video). Miniature architectural forms – some no larger than viruses – have been constructed through a revolutionary technique known as DNA origami. Now, Hao Yan, Yan Liu and their colleagues at ASU's Biodesign Institute have expanded the capability of this method to construct arbitrary, two- and three-dimensional shapes, mimicking those commonly found in nature. Such diminutive forms may ultimately find their way into a wide array of devices, from ultra-tiny computing components to nanomedical sentries used to target and destroy aberrant cells or deliver therapeutics at the cellular or even molecular level. (April.21.2011 nanowerk): http://www.nanowerk.com/news/newsid=21112.php
 
Kind regards,
Gina "Nanogirl" Miller

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