 |
|
Expert says nanotechnology should look to Mother Nature
August 11, 2004Professor Richard Jones of the University of Sheffield has today outlined the possibilities of using nature's secrets to develop nanotechnology, and casts doubt on some popular assumptions about the science, including the premise that we may create nano-robots with the power to reduce the world to 'grey goo'.
Professor Jones is internationally renowned both as an experimental nanoscientist and as a commentator on the social and economic implications of nanotechnology. In his book, Soft Machines - Nanotechnology and Life, published today by Oxford University Press, he argues that many widely-held assumptions on how nanotechnology will work need to be rethought.
He explains, "In the past, some scientists, and certainly the world of science fiction, have assumed that developments in nanotechnology would involve using engineering principles form the human-sized world and simply scaling them down to be used in a nano-scale environment. For example, science fiction images of tiny submarines that can swim through a person's bloodstream are widespread and enduring.
"In reality, the nano-scale environment is very different from that on a macro-scale and a rigid structure like a submarine would encounter all kinds of problems. Firstly, anything in the nano-scale is influenced by something called Brownian Motion, which means that any device would be shaken around constantly. The nano-world is also subject to strong surface forces and at the nano-scale water has a consistency more like treacle than the free-flowing liquid we are familiar with. These factors could make a traditional macro-scale machine seize up, as all the moving parts would stick together."
To get around this problem, Professor Jones suggests that the future of nanotechnology may depend on studying nature, which operates remarkably well in the nano-world, and copying its operating principles.
He explains, "Nature has evolved over billions of years to operate on the nano-scale, and, as a result, has developed highly efficient nano-machines that exploit the special features of the nanoscale environment. Bacteria are a good example and demonstrate that to cope with and exploit both Brownian Motion and strong surface forces machines have to be soft and pliable, rather than the hard machines used in the macro-world.
"Understanding the effectiveness with which nature operates on the nanoscale also makes it clear that the chances of us creating nanomachines that are so efficient that we can effectively out-engineer evolution are very small. Biology has spent billions of years getting nanotechnology right, and it is unlikely that humans can create a synthetic form of life that is better adapted to the Earth's environment than life itself."
Sheffield, University of
Nanotechnology Current Events and Nanotechnology News RSSThe gold standard: Biodesign Institute researchers use nanoparticles to make 3-D DNA nanotubes
Arizona State University researchers Hao Yan and Yan Liu imagine and assemble intricate structures on a scale almost unfathomably small. Their medium is the double-helical DNA molecule, a versatile building material offering near limitless construction potential.
Researchers make breakthrough in the production of double-walled carbon nanotubes
In recent years, the possible applications for double-walled carbon nanotubes have excited scientists and engineers, particularly those working on developing renewable energy technologies.
Study on cytotoxicity of carbon nanotubes
Owing to the novel properties of carbon nanotubes (CBNs), a series of problems associated with in vitro toxicity assessments of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have appeared in many literatures.
Pitt, NETL researchers report molecular chain reaction thought to be impossible
People said it couldn't be done, but researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and the U.S. Department of Energy National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) in Pittsburgh demonstrated a molecular chain reaction on a metal surface, a nanoscale process with sizable potential in areas from nanotechnology to developing information storage technology.
New studies reveal differing perceptions of nature-altering science
Two new National Science Foundation (NSF)-sponsored research studies say public acceptance of the relatively new, nature-altering science of nanotechnology isn't a foregone conclusion. Instead, the studies indicate continued concern.
Oregon theory may help design tomorrow's sustainable polymer
Tomorrow's specialty plastics may be produced more precisely and cheaply thanks to the apparently tight merger of a theory by a University of Oregon chemist and years of unexplained data from real world experiments involving polymers in Europe.
People in the US and the UK show strong similarities in their attitudes toward nanotechnologies
The results of a new U.S.-U.K. study published in this week's journal Nature Nanotechnology show that ordinary people in both countries hold very positive views of nanotechnologies and what the future of these technologies might bring.
New polymer coatings prevent corrosion, even when scratched
Imagine tiny cracks in your patio table healing by themselves, or the first small scratch on your new car disappearing by itself. This and more may be possible with self-healing coatings being developed at the University of Illinois.
New Hybrid Nanostructures Detect Nanoscale Magnetism
A key challenge of nanotechnology research is investigating how different materials behave at lengths of merely one-billionth of a meter. When shrunk to such tiny sizes, many everyday materials exhibit interesting and potentially beneficial new properties.
'Strained' quantum dots show new optical properties
Quantum dots, tiny luminescent particles made of semiconductors, hold promise for detecting and treating cancer earlier. However, if doctors were to use them in humans, quantum dots could have limitations related to their size and possible toxicity.
More Nanotechnology Current Events and Nanotechnology News Articles
 | Nanotechnology For Dummies (For Dummies (Math & Science)) by Richard D. Booker, Earl Boysen This title demystifies the topic for investors, business executives, and anyone interested in how molecule-sized machines and processes can transform our lives. Along with dispelling common myths, it covers nanotechnology's origins, how it will affect various industries, and the limitations it can overcome. This handy book also presents numerous applications such as scratch-proof glass, corrosion... |
 | Nanotechnology: A Gentle Introduction to the Next Big Idea by Mark A. Ratner, Daniel Ratner This book is the technical and business overview of tomorrow's scientific breakthrough. The authors survey the scientific research and business aspects of the field, try to explain the key concepts, provide a look at current developments, and give some thoughts on where nanotechnology is likely to go in the next few years. The book will be approachable and witty, with lots of illustrations and... |
 | Nanotechnology: Science, Innovation, and Opportunity by Lynn E. Foster Inside the Emerging Multibillion-Dollar Nanotechnology Industry Suddenly, nanotechnology isn't science fiction or mere theory: It's becoming one of the world's fastest-growing, highest-impact industries. In Nanotechnology: Science, Innovation, and Opportunity, the field's leading experts offer an up-to-the-minute briefing on where the industry stands now, how it will unfold over the coming... |
 | Nanophysics and Nanotechnology: An Introduction to Modern Concepts in Nanoscience (Physics Textbook) by Edward L. Wolf With the second edition of his highly successful textbook 'Nanophysics and Nanotechnology', the author has once more provided a unique, self-contained introduction to the physical concepts, techniques and applications of nanoscale systems by covering its entire spectrum from the latest examples right up to single-electron and molecular electronics. The book is basically at the level of an upper... |
 | Understanding Nanotechnology by Scientific American, editors at Scientific American Everyone today knows what technology is, but what is nanotechnology? Taken from the Greek, nano means 'one billionth part of' a whole. In modern parlance, it means very, very small. Nano-tech is the next step after miniaturization. Mobile phones are miniaturized versions of traditional landline phones. Watches are miniature clocks. Desktop computers are miniature versions of the original analogue... |
 | Nanotechnology Demystified by Linda Williams, Wade Adams Get up to speed on nanotechnology and the many biological, chemical, physical, environmental, and political aspects of this developing... |
 | Soft Machines: Nanotechnology and Life by Richard A. L. Jones Enthusiasts look forward to a time when tiny machines reassemble matter and process information with unparalleled power and precision. But is their vision realistic? Where is the science heading? As nanotechnology (a new technology that many believe will transform society in the next on hundred years) rises higher in the news agenda and popular consciousness, there is a real need for a book which... |
 | Engines of Creation: The Coming Era of Nanotechnology by Eric Drexler This brilliant work heralds the new age of nanotechnology, which will give us thorough and inexpensive control of the structure of matter. Drexler examines the enormous implications of these developments for medicine, the economy, and the environment, and makes astounding yet well-founded projections for the... |
 | Introduction to Nanotechnology by Charles P., Jr. Poole, Frank J. Owens This self-confessed introduction provides technical administrators and managers with a broad, practical overview of the subject and gives researchers working in different areas an appreciation of developments in nanotechnology outside their own fields of... |
 | Springer Handbook of Nanotechnology Since 2004 the Springer Handbook of Nanotechnology has established itself as the definitive reference in the nanoscience and nanotechnology area. It integrates the knowledge from nanofabrication, nanodevices, nanomechanics, Nanotribology, materials science, and reliability engineering in just one volume. Beside the presentation of nanostructures, micro/nanofabrication, and micro/nanodevices,... |
| © 2009 BrightSurf.com |