The Nanogirl News~


The Nanogirl News

November 11, 2006

'Nanorust' Cleans Arsenic From Drinking Water. The discovery of unexpected
magnetic interactions between ultrasmall specks of rust is leading
scientists at Rice University's Center for Biological and Environmental
Nanotechnology (CBEN) to develop a revolutionary, low-cost technology for
cleaning arsenic from drinking water. The technology holds promise for
millions of people in India, Bangladesh and other developing countries where
thousands of cases of arsenic poisoning each year are linked to poisoned
wells. The new technique is described in the Nov. 10 issue of Science
magazine.(Playfuls 11.11.06)
http://www.playfuls.com/news_002874_Nanorust_Cleans_Arsenic_From_Drinking_Water.html

Legos give kids a leg up on nanotechnology. The U.S. Patent Office might
want to hear about this: John Hurd and a team of researchers have built a
"nanoprobe" he says can clean clogged arteries. "The nanoprobe swims through
the arteries and pushes out all the cholesterol and fat," explained the
9-year-old inventor. There is a caveat. The machine is only in the minds of
the pint-sized designers who have spent eight weeks studying
nanotechnology - the science of making super-small machines - while crafting
robots out of Legos. The Crestwood Elementary School fourth-grader is among
more than 200 students from Madison, Milwaukee and elsewhere in Wisconsin
participating in this year's FIRST Lego League Badgerland Regional
Competition, which starts today at Madison's Memorial High School.(Wisconsin
State Journal 11.11.06)
http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/local/index.php?ntid=107020&ntpid=3

Bridging neurons and electronics with carbon nanotubes. New implantable
biomedical devices that can act as artificial nerve cells, control severe
pain, or allow otherwise paralyzed muscles to be moved might one day be
possible thanks to developments in materials science. Writing today in
Advanced Materials, Nicholas Kotov of the University of Michigan and
colleagues describe how they have used hollow, submicroscopic strands of
carbon, carbon nanotubes, to connect an integrated circuit to nerve cells.
The new technology offers the possibility of building an interface between
biology and electronics. (PhysOrg Nov. 06)
http://www.physorg.com/news82116028.html

New biomedical device uses nanotechnology to monitor hip implant healing,
may reduce wait times. It is so small, you can barely see it, but a
microsensor created by University of Alberta engineers may soon make a huge
difference in the lives of people recovering from hip replacement surgery.
The U of A research team has invented a self-powered wireless microsensor
for monitoring the bone healing process after surgery -- it is so tiny it
can fit onto the tip of a pen. (EurekAlert 10.17.06)
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-10/uoa-nbd101706.php

Now, a 'DNA machine' that can sound a virus alert. Researchers have made a
'DNA machine' from a single molecule that detects a virus by reading its
genome, and then produces an alarm signal, in the form of a visible glow.
Itamar Willner of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and his co-workers say
that their DNA device can provide a readout within an hour and a half,
whereas existing methods for identifying viruses or bacteria from their DNA
generally require many complicated chemical steps. (Nature 11.10.06)
http://www.nature.com/news/2006/061106/full/061106-19.html

A nanoplasmonic molecular ruler for measuring nuclease activity and DNA
footprinting. Researchers have a new tool for studying interactions between
proteins and nucleic acids: a nanoscale optical ruler than can detect small
changes in the size of a given piece of DNA. This work is reported in the
inaugural issue of the journal Nature Nanotechnology. (News-medical.net
10.16.06)
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=20495

Nanoparticle Shows Promise In Reducing Radiation Side Effects. With the help
of tiny, transparent zebrafish embryos, researchers at the Kimmel Cancer
Center at Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Medical College are
hoping to prove that a microscopic nanoparticle can be part of a "new class
of radioprotective agents" that help protect normal tissue from radiation
damage just as well as standard drugs. Reporting November 7, 2006 at the
annual meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and
Oncology in Philadelphia, they show that the nanoparticle, DF-1 - a soccer
ball-shaped, hollow, carbon-based structure known as a fullerene - is as
good as two other antioxidant drugs and the FDA-approved drug, Amifostine in
fending off radiation damage from normal tissue. (Sciencedaily 11.10.06)
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/11/061108154306.htm

Nanoparticle Sheets Form Spontaneously - CdTe nanocrystals mimic proteins.
Crystalline nanoparticles of cadmium telluride, a semiconducting material
used to make thin films for solar cells, spontaneously assemble into
two-dimensional free-floating sheets in water without a template to guide
them. Nicholas A. Kotov, Sharon C. Glotzer, and their colleagues at the
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, report this unexpected finding and
explain how it occurs through a combination of interactive forces between
the nanoparticles-the same way that some protein structures form in living
systems 'Science 2006, 314, 274'.
(C&E 10.16.06) http://pubs.acs.org/cen/news/84/i42/8442notw7.html

Damage Control. Combination of carbon nanofibers and stem cells can
regenerate lost neurons in rats. A cocktail of carbon nanofibers and stem
cells can heal neural tissue in rats damaged by a stroke, according to a
recent study. Thomas J. Webster, an engineering professor at Brown
University, presented the results on Sept. 11 at the American Chemical
Society national meeting in San Francisco. (C&E 9.12.06)
http://pubs.acs.org/cen/news/84/i38/8438nanofibers.html

MIT materials scientists tame tricky carbon nanotubes. Based on a new
theory, MIT scientists may be able to manipulate carbon nanotubes -- one of
the strongest known materials and one of the trickiest to work with --
without destroying their extraordinary electrical properties. The work is
reported in the Sept. 15 issue of Physical Review Letters, the journal of
the American Physical Society. (MIT 9.15.06)
http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2006/nanotubes.html

Ancient Hair-Dyeing - A Nanoscience? Scientists have discovered that an
ancient method used to darken hair, dating back more than 4,000 years, is
based on a chemical process that takes place at the nanoscale. This may be
one of the earliest examples of nanoscience at work in a practical
application. The research team is led by Dr. Philippe Walter, a chemist with
the Centre Nationale de Recherche Scientifique (National Center for
Scientific Research) in Paris, France. For the past 10 years, he and his
group have collaborated with the research department at L'Oreal, studying
the history of cosmetic science. (PhysOrg Nov 06)
http://www.physorg.com/news81427508.html

Nanotechnology: Check out the 2006 Nano Quest Challenge. The first
organization - inspired by inventor Dean Kamen - and the Lego Group are
sponsoring the 2006 Nano Quest Challenge, and sadly for the rest of us, it
seems to be limited to kids 9-14 years old, plus 6 to 9-year-olds in the
junior league in US and Canada. But wait - all the teams need adult guides,
so some of us grown-ups have found a way to get in on this. There are 169
teams competing in California alone, and 32 countries are listed on the
international page. (Nanodot 10.17.06)
http://www.foresight.org/nanodot/?p=2344

Penn researcher shows that DNA gets kinky easily at the nanoscale.
Scientists have answered a long-standing molecular stumper regarding DNA:
How can parts of such a rigid molecule bend and coil without requiring large
amounts of force? According to a team of researchers from the United States
and the Netherlands, led by a physicist from the University of Pennsylvania,
DNA is much more flexible than previously believed when examined over
extremely small lengths. They used a technique called atomic force
microscopy to determine the amount of energy necessary to bend DNA over
nano-size lengths (about a million times smaller than a printed letter). (U
of Penn 11.3.06)
http://www.upenn.edu/pennnews/article.php?id=1048

Breaking the nanometer barrier in X-ray microscopy. Argonne National
Laboratory scientists in collaboration with Xradia have created a new X-ray
microscope technique capable of observing molecular-scale features,
measuring less than a nanometer in height. Combining x-ray reflection
together with high resolution x-ray microscopy, scientists can now study
interactions at the nanometer-scale which often can exhibit different
properties and lead to new insights. Improving our understanding of
interactions at the nanoscale holds promise to help us cure the sick,
protect our environment and make us more secure. (Eurekalert 11.9.06)
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/dnl-btn110906.php

Carbon Nanotubes You Can Live With. Carbon nanotubes, or CNTs, are hollow
wires of pure carbon about 50,000 times narrower than the finest human hair
but stronger than steel. CNTs have enormous potential in a variety of
biological applications, including medical diagnostics and treatments.
There's a problem, however, and until now it has been what technologists
call a "stopper." For reasons not entirely known, CNTs are cytotoxic -
contact with them kills cells. This is one stopper that may have been
solved. A team of researchers with Berkeley Lab, the University of
California at Berkeley, and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) have
developed a means of making CNTs biocompatible. (Science Berkeley Lab
8.26.06) http://www.lbl.gov/Science-Articles/Archive/sabl/2006/Jul/01.html

Anti Aging Medical Group Corp. Establishes Collaboration With AlphaRx and
Leading Neurologists for Alzheimer's Disease. The collaboration has selected
a well-known compound which in various pre-clinical studies have
demonstrated low toxicity and proven to be highly effective in reducing
brain inflammation, protecting neuronal cells, restoring cognitive function
and preventing the development of Alzheimer's. This has not been a priority
by the major pharmaceutical companies due to various formulation issues. In
addition, the collaboration believes its approach of using nanotechnology to
deliver such compound through the blood brain barrier is viable and will
attempt to screen 2 to 3 formulations in Alzheimer's animal models to
determine the right dosage for human trials. (Marketwire 11.9.06)
http://www.marketwire.com/mw/release_html_b1?release_id=182304

Still Dyeing After 2,000 Years - Ancient formula, now re-created, darkens
locks with lead sulfide nanoparticles. Nanotechnology may seem like the
latest fad in beauty products, but a new report suggests that people have
been using nanomaterials to improve upon nature for at least 2,000 years.
According to researchers in France, an ancient hair-coloring concoction
turns tresses black via the formation of lead sulfide nanoparticles within
the hair shaft 'Nano Lett., DOI: 10.1021/nl061493u'.
(C&E 9.11.06) http://pubs.acs.org/cen/news/84/i37/8437notw7.html

Bio-nanotechnology to kill cancer cells. The University of Surrey has been
awarded a grant of 420,000 to utilize nanotechnology to develop cancer
treatments. The grant is part of an international project: "Multifunctional
Carbon Nanotubes for Biomedical Applications (CARBIO)" supported by the
European Union under the Marie Curie scheme. (Nanotechnology 11.6.06)
http://www.nanotechnology.com/news/?id=9329

Nanotech eyed for help with outages. Area residents are still talking about
the October snowstorm that knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of
homes and business. So are researchers at the University at Buffalo.
Engineers at UB's Energy Systems Institute, in fact, have been studying how
nanotechnology a branch of engineering that designs and builds extremely
small electronic circuits and devices -- can be used to build a more
reliable, efficient power system. (SmallTimes 11.6.06)
http://www.smalltimes.com/news/display_news_story.cfm?Section=WireNews&Category=HOME&NewsID=140666


'artist & animator for hire'
Gina "Nanogirl" Miller
Nanotechnology Industries
http://www.nanoindustries.com
Personal: http://www.nanogirl.com/index2.html
Animation Blog: http://maxanimation.blogspot.com/
Craft blog: http://nanogirlblog.blogspot.com/
Foresight Senior Associate http://www.foresight.org
Nanotechnology Advisor Extropy Institute http://www.extropy.org
Email: nanogirl@xxxxxxxxxxx
"Nanotechnology: Solutions for the future."



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