Re: is submicron and neno same

From: Danny at Chrastina dot net (danny_at_chrastina.notreally)
Date: 02/16/05

  • Next message: Anuja: "ADV: Re: Boron nitride nanotube" 
    Date: 16 Feb 2005 17:36:13 GMT

    On Sat, 12 Feb 2005 d.webb@mdx.ac.uk wrote:

    > In article <cttnfr0olu@enews3.newsguy.com>, Danny at Chrastina dot net
    > <danny@chrastina.notreally> writes:
    >
    >> On Wed, 2 Feb 2005, din wrote:
    >>
    >> There are two kind of nano, or rather two ends of the spectrum: at
    >> one end there is the kind of thing mentioned in
    >>
    http://www.forbes.com/home/investmentnewsletters/2004/10/21/cz_jw_1021soapbox.html
    >>
    >> : metal oxide nanowires and that. In this case "nano" just means "of
    >> the order of 1 nanometre in size". And the other end are people who
    >> talk about small dekstop boxes which could churn out self-replicating
    >> nanobots as if anybody had any idea about how to go about making such a
    >> thing. In this case "nano" means "totally made up without basis in
    >> known science". I mean, I've seen hypothetical pictures of artificial
    >> red blood cells which looked like the Death Star. Maybe I could add a
    >> third dimension to this spectrum by mentioning life sciences: nature
    >> has been working on nanotechnology for 4 billion years and it's us.[1]
    >> I notice we're on the macro scale.
    >
    > Well viruses and some bacteria are on the nanoscale. Hence you can
    > consider some bacteria as a proof of concept for the development of
    > self-replicating nano-machines. According to this weeks new scientist
    > groups are already working on creating an artificial lifeform from
    > scratch. The design of the Los Alamos Bug uses fatty acid molecules, a
    > peptide nucleic acid instead of DNA and will be fed on fatty acid
    > precurors. Once setup this should reproduce itself. I'd guess that would
    > qualify as building a self replicating nanobot.

    http://www.newscientist.com/channel/fundamentals/mg18524861.100

    and also

    http://www.popsci.com/popsci/medicine/article/0,20967,1014147-3,00.html

             In one sense yes (and it would be an amazing feat if they get it
    to work) but in another sense it will be a poor imitation of a
    bacterium... so why not genetically engineer bacteria to do what you need
    instead?

    > Just because we haven't the technology at this particular moment to
    > create self replicating nano-assemblers doesn't make them "totally made
    > up without basis in known science".

             But it's clear that these (inorganic) self-replicating nanobots
    that get people so excited are still firmly in the realm of science
    fiction. What's the current best way of creating carbon nanotubes "to
    order" with specific properties and get them organized? Google has found
    me lots of research groups who are working on this, but it gets a bit
    difficult to cut through the hype and the stuff written in future or
    subjunctive tenses to find out what anyone has actually accomplished. 

    -- 
 	Dr. Danny Chrastina.
Office: +39 031 3327355	Everywhere else: +39 333 2825623
 				http://www.chrastina.net/
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