One of the main future advances will be in the area of super-micro-miniturization. Something now known as nano-technologies. Here are some news articles on this fascinating concept: Nanogen Issued Patent for Electronic Microarray With Memory Nanogen,
Read More...
One of the main future advances will be in the area of
super-micro-miniturization. Something now known as
nano-technologies. Here are some news articles on this fascinating
concept:
Nanogen Issued Patent for Electronic Microarray With Memory
Nanogen, Inc., developer of advanced diagnostic
products, announced today that it was issued U.S. Patent No. 6,867,048,
"Multiplexed Active Biologic Array" by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The
'048 patent relates to a method of addressing one or more electrodes (or "test
sites") across multiple rows and columns of a microarray. The patent also covers
a method for storing the value of the voltage associated with each electrode in
a local memory. This "smart chip" technology is a key feature of Nanogen's
NanoChip 400 electronic microarray, the company's second generation
multi-purpose system for developing and performing molecular diagnostic
tests.
Source: http://www.physorg.com/news3514.html
Device For Weighing Individual Molecules
Physicists at the California Institute of Technology
have created the first nanodevices capable of weighing individual biological
molecules. This technology may lead to new forms of molecular identification
that are cheaper and faster than existing methods, as well as revolutionary new
instruments for proteomics.
Source: http://www.physorg.com/news3533.html
Nanotechnology could promote hydrogen economy
Say "nanotechnology" and people are likely to think of
micro machines or zippy computer chips. But in a new twist, Rutgers scientists
are using nanotechnology in chemical reactions that could provide hydrogen for
tomorrow's fuel-cell powered clean energy vehicles. In a paper to be published
April 20 in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, researchers at
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, describe how they make a finely
textured surface of the metal iridium that can be used to extract hydrogen from
ammonia, then captured and fed to a fuel cell. The metal's unique surface
consists of millions of pyramids with facets as tiny as five nanometers (five
billionths of a meter) across, onto which ammonia molecules can nestle like
matching puzzle pieces. This sets up the molecules to undergo complete and
efficient decomposition.
Source: http://www.physorg.com/news3534.html
Toshiba's 'NanoBattery' Recharges In Only One Minute
Toshiba Corporation today announced a breakthrough in
lithium-ion batteries that makes long recharge times a thing of the past. The
company's new battery can recharge 80% of a battery's energy capacity in only
one minute, approximately 60 times faster than the typical lithium-ion batteries
in wide use today, and combines this fast recharge time with
performance-boosting improvements in energy density.
Source: http://www.physorg.com/news3539.html
Nanotech Gadgets to Be Built by Algae?
Ancient, single-celled organisms that are lowly anchors
in the marine food chain may soon be integral players in the lofty realm of
nanotechnology, National Geographic reports.Diatoms have a unique ability to
pull silica from seawater and mill it into intricately-structured, rigid shells.
The organisms create their shells by employing special proteins and subcellular
organs to first assemble silica nanoparticles. The proteins and subcellular
organs then orchestrate the assembly of those nanoparticles into
shells.Researchers at Oregon State University will try to develop a process that
harnesses diatom shell-construction to create nanostructured materials. They aim
to incorporate elements such as silicon, germanium, titanium, and gallium into
the diatoms`; silica shells. At the nanoscale, these elements follow the laws of
quantum mechanics instead of Newtonian physics, giving them unique and
commercially desirable properties.
Source: http://weblog.physorg.com/news1446.html
The Lighter Side of Nanotechnology
Grey Goos, the first comic strip developed for the
nanotechnology community, has been released by leading Nanotechnology portal
NanoApex. The weekly cartoon, currently in its fourth episode, examines the
lighter side of nanotechnology and brings a diverse global audience together
through its wry, but relevant humor.
Source: http://www.physorg.com/news3549.html
NASA Tests Shape-Shifting Robot Pyramid for Nanotech
Swarms
Like new and protective parents, engineers watched as
the TETWalker robot successfully traveled across the floor at NASA's Goddard
Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Robots of this type will eventually
be miniaturized and joined together to form "autonomous nanotechnology swarms"
(ANTS) that alter their shape to flow over rocky terrain or to create useful
structures like communications antennae and solar sails. This technology has the
potential to directly support NASA's Vision for Space Exploration.
Source: http://www.physorg.com/news3550.html
UO-ONAMI researcher gets patent for nanoparticle-based electronic
devices
First came the patent on a greener, faster way to
synthesize gold nanoparticles. On Tuesday (March 29), the University of Oregon
received a second patent that could lead to a new class of nanoscale electronics
and optics assembled from nanoparticles-including ultrasmall transistors that
operate efficiently at room temperature.
Source: http://www.physorg.com/news3554.html
Title : New noble gas chemical compounds created Excerpt : Chemical compounds consisting of noble gases combined with hydrocarbon molecules - a feat previously thought to be unattainable - have been created as the result of the work of researchers at
Read More...
Title: New noble gas chemical compounds created
Excerpt: Chemical compounds consisting of noble
gases combined with hydrocarbon molecules - a feat previously thought to be
unattainable - have been created as the result of the work of researchers at the
Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
This achievement by Benny Gerber, Saerree K. and Louis P. Fiedler
Professor of Chemistry, and his associates at the Hebrew University Institute of
Chemistry opens the way for further research to produce new chemical compounds
in such areas as anesthesiology and high-energy fuels that will be more
efficient, safer and ecologically less injurious than materials now in use.
Article Link: http://www.physorg.com/news3487.html
[ Currently Playing : Hero - The Goads - Hero (03:31) ]
Title : Glacial, volcanic and fluvial activity on Mars: latest images Excerpt : This image of the Martian north polar ice cap shows layers of water ice and dust for the first time in perspective view. Here we see cliffs which are almost 2 kilometres high,
Read More...
Title: Glacial, volcanic and fluvial activity on Mars: latest images
Excerpt: This image of the
Martian north polar ice cap shows layers of water ice and dust for the first
time in perspective view. Here we see cliffs which are almost 2 kilometres high,
and the dark material in the caldera-like structures and dune fields could be
volcanic ash.
Article Link: http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Mars_Express/SEMLF6D3M5E_1.html
Title: ** ESA's Mars Express sees signs of a 'frozen
sea' **
Excerpt: This image, taken by the High Resolution
Stereo Camera (HRSC) on board ESA's Mars Express spacecraft, shows what appears
to be a dust-covered frozen sea near the Martian equator.
Article Link: http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Mars_Express/SEMCHPYEM4E_0.html
Title: ** ESA's Mars Express sees signs of a 'frozen
sea' **
Excerpt: This image, taken by the High Resolution
Stereo Camera (HRSC) on board ESA's Mars Express spacecraft, shows what appears
to be a dust-covered frozen sea near the Martian equator.
Article Link: http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Mars_Express/SEMCHPYEM4E_0.html
By Alan Boyle Science editor MSNBC Updated: 2:50 p.m. ET March 3, 2005 Millionaire adventurer Steve Fossett landed safely Thursday at the airport where he started his nonstop, round-the-world flight, becoming the first ever to complete such a mission
Read More...