From: Gina Miller (nanogirl@halcyon.com)
Date: Fri Dec 17 1999 - 21:23:39 MST
~Nanogirl News~
Dec. 17, 1999 "Merry christmas-with nano on top"
*Designer molecules reveal age-old mysteries. Cornell University researchers
are now able to observe atomic bonds by combining scanning tunneling
microscopes (STMs) with vibrational spectroscopy. Beginning in the 1980s as
a new observational technique, STMs have become an important research tool
for nanoscale devices and a means of individually moving atoms to create
very small structures. (EE Times 12/14/99)
http://www.eet.com/story/OEG19991214S0042
*Hard as a Diamond? Diamonds are almost as popular in industry as they are
with brides-to-be. The hardest material on Earth is great for drills and
other machine tools, but it's expensive to manufacture or mine. Evidence in
the 20 December PRL suggests that a form of carbon made from fused spheres
of 20 and 28 carbon atoms--relatives of the famous "buckyballs"--could be
almost as hard. (12/16 PRF)
http://focus.aps.org/v4/st31.html
*Learning how cell's tiny motor powers its mobility. HHMI researchers have
for the first time shown how the world's smallest moving machines generate
the motion needed to transport their chemical cargo throughout cells. The
discovery of how one tiny component of the motor protein kinesin powers its
movement represents an important insight into one of the most fundamental
aspects of biology.
(Howard Hughes Medical Institute 12/16/99)
http://www.hhmi.org/news/vale.htm
And Scientists figure out how cells' tiniest motors work. Biologists have
figured out how the world's smallest machines work - the molecular motors
that separate chromosomes when cells divide, distribute embryonic material
and haul precious cargo in every organism from protozoa to people. Led by
the UC San Francisco scientist who discovered this protein motor called
kinesin in 1985. (UCSF)
http://www.ucsf.edu/daybreak/1999/12/16_cellmotor.html
*Technology Review (MIT press) has a a special section devoted to the
“TR100,” 100 young innovators who exemplify the spirit of innovation in
science, technology, and the arts. Nov-Dec issue.
http://www.techreview.com/tr100/
These were the names included in the list, from a search I did in this
section of nanotechnology-you can learn more about them and info on their
work at the url.
Tejal Desai University of Illinois, Chicago
Nicola Hill University of California, Santa Barbara
Hideo Mabuchi California Institute of Technology
Shoko Manako NEC Corp.
Christopher Murray IBM
Carmichael Roberts Surface Logix
John Rogers Lucent Technologies’ Bell Labs
Erik Winfree Princeton University
Jackie Ying MIT
*I'm not sure if this is current, the properties of the page say it is, but
I wonder about the Times People 98 button. Anyways, here's a nice page about
Richard Smalley.
Entitled: Nanotechnology: Richard Smalley A carbon copy of the real
thing. -snip-The high school student in Kansas City, Mo., was unimpressed
when a teacher stated that carbon, as the basic building block of life, was
the most important element in the periodic table. "My attitude was: 'Just
look at all the interesting atoms in that region of the periodic table;
certainly the reason that carbon dominates chemistry is our own ignorance,'
" Richard Smalley recalls.
http://www.eet.com/special/special_issues/1998/timespeople98/smalley.html
I found this page at this starting point: (some other interesting people
listed here)
http://www.eet.com/special/special_issues/1998/timespeople98/
*Rotational Motion Detected In Gates Controlling Nerve Impulses. Scientists
who performed the first direct measurement of voltage-induced distance
changes in ion channels - critical components of the nervous system - have
reached a surprising conclusion. As reported in the Dec.16 issue of Nature,
the amino acids in the voltage sensor move like keys turning in locks, not
like the simple plungers that were predicted by current models. (U of
Illinois 12/16/99)
http://www.admin.uiuc.edu/NB/99.12/16ionchannelstip.html
*Scientists Report First Complete DNA Sequence Of Plant Chromosomes
Scientists involved in an international effort to sequence the entire genome
of Arabidopsis thaliana have reported the first complete DNA sequence of a
plant chromosome in the December 16, 1999, issue of the journal Nature. The
results provide new information about chromosome structure, evolution,
intracellular signaling and disease resistance in plants. (12/16/99)
http://www.nsf.gov/od/lpa/news/press/99/pr9973.htm
*Embryonic stem cell research called top breakthrough of 1999. The editors
of Science selected stem cell research as the "Breakthrough of the Year,"
saying the technology on how to direct the transformation of stem cells into
new body parts could dramatically change medicine and extend life.
(12/16/99)
http://www.cnn.com/1999/HEALTH/12/16/science.best.ap/index.html
http://www.eurekalert.org/releases/aaas-hsc121099.html
*Look Ahead at Future of Science. -snip- The 20th century has seen
incredible progress in every field of science and technology. Only 66 years
elapsed between the Wright brothers' flight and Neil Armstrong's walk on the
moon. At the same time, physics placed in human hands the capability to
destroy the world. (LA Times 12/15/99)
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/science/19991215/tCB00V0637.html
*Neutrinos and 'the theory of everything. To determine whether tiny
neutrinos - thought to be the substance of the universe - have any mass at
all, scientists plan to send thousands of them on a 730 km journey through
rock 10 km below the North American Continent. (12/13/99)
http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/stories/s72875.htm
*Biotech scientists invite ethical input (13/12/99) The joint
CSIRO/University of Queensland, Institute for Molecular Bioscience is
establishing an Ethics and Public Policy Unit to initiate and oversee
ethical and community standards in its research programs.Australia
(12/13/99)
http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/stories/s72916.htm
*David Brin author of The Transparent Society and others was a featured chat
guest on abc the other day, see the transcripts or more about him at this
url:
http://abcnews.go.com/ABC2000/abc2000tech/Brinchat_transcript.html
*Smell, Taste May Influence Lifespan Of The Roundworm C. Elegans. The
microscopic roundworm is at it again, offering dramatic insights into the
factors that regulate aging, at least in C. elegans. This time, UCSF
researchers report that lessening the nematode's ability to perceive its
environment - presumably through smell or taste -- increases its lifespan by
more than a third. (Sceincedaily 12/17/99)
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1999/12/991217082129.htm
*Imagine sitting at a computer and taking a three-dimensional tour of any
geographic locale on Earth. Fanciful as it may sound, such a tool -
envisioned and promoted in January 1998 by Vice President Al Gore - is
becoming a reality thanks, in part, to nine students from James Madison
University's College of Integrated Science and Technology. (12/99)
http://www.newswise.com/articles/1999/12/3DEARTH.JMU.html
*Freezing into Unconsciousness. Before a surgeon can unsheathe her scalpel
and plunge into her work, she has to be absolutely sure the patient is
asleep. In the December Physical Review E, researchers describe a new
theoretical model of the brain that suggests that the general anesthetics
used by surgeons in the operating room may trigger a sudden phase transition
between the waking and unconscious states. (12/15/99)
http://focus.aps.org/v4/st30.html
*University Of Minnesota Chemists Study Mysterious Y2K Molecule. Noting that
1999 has been flooded with reports on Y2K, University of Minnesota associate
chemistry professors Jeffrey Roberts and Christopher Cramer were shocked to
learn that the chemical literature contained no mention of this timely
molecule, which could conceivably form when two atoms of yttrium
(abbreviated Y on the periodic chart) combine with one atom of potassium
(abbreviated K).
http://www1.umn.edu/urelate/newsservice/newsreleases/99_12y2kchem.html
*Novel Molecule Blocks Pain Receptor System -- Discovery May Lead To New
Treatments For Pain. Researchers with Banyu Pharmaceutical Co. in Japan have
designed a synthetic molecule that can block a molecular pathway, allowing
researchers a closer look at what makes some people less sensitive to pain.
(12/16) http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1999/12/991216080650.htm
*Internet Domain Registrars Announces That They Are The First Registrar To
Offer 67 Character Domain Name Registration.
http://www.internetwire.com/technews/tn/01985960.dsl
Could you imagine typing in
pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis.com?(which is the longest word
in the dictionary by the way)
*MAXWELL'S DEMON MADE OF SAND. The second law of thermodynamics states that
within a closed system heat cannot flow unassisted from a cold to a warm
place. To ponder this issue, James Clerk Maxwell, one of the pioneers of
statistical mechanics, posed this thought experiment: could not a clever
microscopic creature, poised at a pinhole in a baffle dividing an insulated
box into two equal chambers, sort molecules in such a way that the hotter
(faster) molecules would be directed into one chamber while cooler (slower)
molecules would be directed into the other. Dec 20th issue. Abstract:
http://www.aip.org/enews/physnews/1999/split/pnu461-2.htm
Download the pdf:
http://pubster.aip.org/journal_cgi/getabs?KEY=PRLTAO&cvips=PRLTAO000083
000025005322000001&gifs=yes
*Book review. New Scientist 12/11/99 MARCUS CHOWN'S NEW BOOK unravels what
is perhaps the greatest detective story in the history of science: the
origin of the atoms. The word "unravel" is particularly apt, as The Magic
Furnace really tells two intertwined stories.
http://www.newscientist.com/ns/19991211/classicals.html
*Ribosome recycler. Proteins are synthesized on a complex of mRNA, tRNA, and
ribosomes. When the protein is complete, the complex must be shut down. The
cell recycles the components efficiently. A key molecule in the recycling
process is a protein called ribosome recycling factor (RRF). A close look at
the crystal structure of RRF shows that it closely resembles tRNA. RRF may
bind to tRNA binding sites on the ribosome as part of the recycling process.
(have your science password)
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/286/5448/2349
*-article-Ageing in the 21st century. From the beginning to the end of the
20th century, human life-expectancy at birth has almost doubled in developed
countries. There have been two separate, interrelated reasons for this. The
first was the discovery of infectious pathogenic microorganisms in the 19th
century, which resulted in the introduction of effective hygienic
procedures. The second was the steady and successful development of medical
science. (Lancet 12/18/99)
http://www.thelancet.com/newlancet/any/supplements/vol354s4/menu_NOD79.html
*A Crisis in Contemporary Art? Never has any cultural movement been as
swift, as brutal, as universal and yet simultaneously as easy as that of the
digital revolution. Its faster-than-thought speed lies in sharp contrast to
the progress of art today; indeed, modern art's apparent lethargy and
confusion routinely inspire debate in vague commentaries. The end of the
avant-garde era, the errors of post-modernism and, above all, the crisis of
the art market have effectively resulted in a general view of contemporary
art as mediocre. (Leonardo Dec 99)
http://mitpress.mit.edu/e-journals/Leonardo/isast/articles/fischer.html
*An interview with "Dollys" creator. Dolly's creator on... There are some
things the Dolly experiment makes people think about. Well, because of the
Dolly experiment, people will think of different ways of making cells change
from one type of cell to another, which has nothing to do with cloning, but
people will be stimulated to think in different ways because of the Dolly
experiment. (Oregon Live 12/15/99)
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/99/12/st121526.html
*Doctors will soon use genetic blueprints to tailor treatments. Scientists
hope to improve bleak odds by harnessing the power of a person's own genetic
code. Tailoring drugs to an individual's unique blueprint, they say, could
put an end to today's ``one-size-fits-all'' medicine and usher in an age of
precision therapies that might one day even stop diseases before they start.
(Pioneer Planer 12/17/99)
http://www.pioneerplanet.com/seven-days/1/news/docs/029779.htm
*Female mice lacking estrogen genes develop male cells. Females in a
laboratory-made mouse strain that lacks key estrogen genes appear to develop
normally, but then grow male testis cells in their ovaries, researchers
report. (withholding a punchline!) Star Telegram 12/17/99
http://www.star-telegram.com/news/doc/1047/1:BPAGE58/1:BPAGE58121799.html
*Zeneca Agrochemicals and Cambridge Discovery Chemistry Announce
Collaboration. Cambridge Discovery Chemistry, formerly Cambridge
Combinatorial, a wholly owned subsidiary of Oxford Molecular Group plc, and
Zeneca Agrochemicals, the crop protection and plant science business of
AstraZeneca, today announced a major chemistry R&D collaboration.
http://news.excite.com/news/bw/991213/de-zeneca
*Meet Conan the Bacterium. A radiation-resistant microbe could play a major
role in Martian exploration. First, it can help scientists determine the
best locations to seek life on Mars. Later, it may help keep astronauts
healthy and then reshape Mars for colonists. (NASA 12/14/99)
http://science.nasa.gov/newhome/headlines/ast14dec99_1.htm
*Snowball Earth. A revolutionary hypothesis suggests that hundreds of
millions of years ago, ice up to a kilometer thick engulfed even the
tropics, snuffing out most life. A runaway greenhouse effect ended the deep
freeze but baked the planet. These brutal climate reversals might have
encouraged the rise of multicellular organisms. (Scientific American Jan
2000)
http://www.sciam.com/2000/0100issue/0100hoffman.html
*Scientists at Purdue University are winding up a project to design and
build a key component of an experiment that aims to help answer a troubling
mystery: If the Big Bang that created the cosmos spawned equal amounts of
matter and antimatter, as theory predicts, where did all the antimatter go?
(Purdue news Dec 99)
http://purduenews.uns.purdue.edu/UNS/htmlarchive/html4ever/9912.Science/99
12.Shipsey.quarks.html
*Scientists Identify Gene That Detects DNA Damage. Researchers at the UW
Medical School have found that mutations in a gene they've been studying for
several years can cause ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T). The affected gene
appears to play a crucial role in controlling the way cells respond to DNA
damage that can lead to cancer. (Science Daily 12/14/99)
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1999/12/991214075905.htm
*African ape-man's hand unearthed. Scientists have uncovered a complete hand
and arm of the ape-man Australopithecus - the first discovery of its kind.
The fossil bones are likely to yield dramatic new details about the anatomy
and behaviour of this distant cousin to modern humans. (BBC 12/15/99)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_566000/566187.stm
*Electricity Shapes Aluminum Auto Parts. Automakers may shape aluminum parts
more easily in the future because of a new technique developed at Ohio State
University that uses electromagnetic pulses to shape metal. (12/17/99)
http://www.newswise.com/articles/1999/12/METALFRM.OSU.html
*Physicist wraps universe in string. (that could almost be some kind of
cosmic christmas reference) Columbia University physicist and mathematician
Brian Greene has turned the dreaded p-word into one of the hottest tickets
in science. And he has done it the hard way: by popularizing one of the most
mathematically mind-numbing and potentially important ideas in physics in
the past 20 years - string theory. (USA today, 12/14/99)
http://www.usatoday.com/life/science/general/lsx028.htm
Gina "Nanogirl" Miller
Nanotechnology Industries
http://www.nanoindustries.com
Personal Web
http://www.homestead.com/nanotechind/nothingatall.html
E-mail: nanogirl@halcyon.com
"Nanotechnology: solutions for the future."
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