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NEWS ABOUT: nanotechnology

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20 Predictions for Life in 100 Years

Futurologists discuss thought communication, global currency

(Newser) - The world 100 years from now: What will it look like? What will humans be up to? What will robots be up to? BBC News collected century-long forecasts from readers, then let futurologists Ian Pearson and Patrick Tucker evaluate the predictions. A selection from the top 20: More »

Team Creates Lightest Material on the Planet

'Ultralight metallic microlattice' 100 times lighter than Styrofoam

(Newser) - A University of California team says it has created a material lighter than any other on Earth. The team's "ultralight metallic microlattice" is 100 times lighter than Styrofoam, and can sit atop a fluffy dandelion without crushing its seeds, the Los Angeles Times reports. The material is 99.... More »

This 'Tattoo' Is a Computer

Skin-like device could revolutionize medicine, gaming

(Newser) - Scientists have blurred the line between man and machine with a revolutionary new device. The "electronic tattoo" sticks to the skin like a temporary tattoo, moving and wrinkling like skin does. The device, created by researchers seeking to create less obtrusive medical monitors for premature babies, monitors vital signs,... More »

New Nanotech Could Lead to Heart-Powered Phones

First commercially viable nanogenerators unveiled

(Newser) - Scientists say a big leap forward in nanotechnology has put them on the road to creating electronics that won't run out of juice until their owners do. Researchers say they have made the first commercially viable nanogenerators, which can use tiny movements like a pinch of a finger or even... More »

Scientists Write Periodic Table on Strand of Hair

Playful birthday present illustrates nanotech capabilities

(Newser) - Scientists have written the entire periodic table of elements on a strand of human hair, the Daily Mail reports. In a playful example of "nano-writing," Nottingham University scientists etched the symbols of all 118 elements onto a hair belonging to colleague Martyn Poliakoff as a birthday present. The... More »

Team Builds Robot Skin

May eventually be used on robots, artificial limbs

(Newser) - Scientists have developed a new type of artificial skin, which may one day cover robots or bring sensation to prosthetic limbs. This "robot skin," or e-skin made of semi-conductor materials, is flexible and is pressure sensitive, reports the Telegraph. The findings suggest researchers may be able to build... More »

Spider Silk Discovery Opens Way to Super Matter

Method may "make it possible to build bricks from straw'

(Newser) - Spider silk is yielding secrets that could pave the way for incredibly strong building materials, researchers say. MIT scientists found that the silk uses a unique crystal structure that makes it both strong and able to bend without breaking. They believe it is possible to copy that structure to turn... More »

Scientists Create 'Paper Battery'

Say technique could someday help fuel electric cars, electronics

(Newser) - Scientists at Stanford University say they’ve created a “paper battery” by coating paper with ink made from silver and carbon nanowires. Earlier research showed those materials can create a battery 10 times as strong as the now-standard lithium-ion variety. The new result: a cheap, powerful and, above all,... More »

'Nanobees' Sting Cancer Cells

Scientists abuzz over treatment using bee venom and nanoparticles

(Newser) - Scientists working to harness the power of bee venom in the fight against cancer have created "nanobees" that can actually sting a tumor to death. Melittin, an ingredient in bee venom with anti-tumor properties, was attached to tiny spheres that sought out and attacked cancerous cells in mice. Previous... More »

Scientists Upgrade Century-Old X-Ray Tech

(Newser) - A team of University of North Carolina scientists are working to bring X-ray technology into the 21st century, the Economist reports. The X-ray machines commonly used today rely on vacuum-tube technology little changed from a century ago, but physicist Otto Zhou and his colleagues have used nanotechnology to create smaller,... More »

Tiny New Fibers Draw Power From Wind, Flowing Blood

(Newser) - Scientists have developed electricity-generating fibers that can be embedded in clothing and other materials and draw power from the smallest of movements, LiveScience reports. The zinc oxide nanowires are as small as 1/5,000th the width of a human hair and produce energy when they vibrate, even from blood flowing... More »

Silicon Valley Spawns High-Tech University

'Singularity University' to tackle questions about future, technology

(Newser) - The future’s so bright, we’re going to need special training to get ready. That’s the point of Singularity University, a Silicon Valley institution founded by trio of forward thinkers, reports CNET. It won’t be a regular university; instead, Singularity—staffed by Nobel winners and other luminaries—... More »

Tiny Particles in Cosmetics Are Creating 'Nanophobes'

Tiny particles in skin-care products could damage organs: scientists

(Newser) - Though nanotechnology—relying on microscopic components—is common in many industries, scientists and consumers are worrying about the effects of nanoparticles in cosmetics, the New York Times reports. The fear is that the particles—50,000 times thinner than hair—can penetrate the skin and create havoc in our organs.... More »

Tiny Tubes May Trumpet End of Bulky Loudspeakers

Nanotube technology could allow for speakers on clothes, windows, screens

(Newser) - You may soon be able to add paper-thin speakers to that flat-panel TV, the Economist reports. Scientists have used ultra-tiny carbon nanotubes to make a transparent film that produces sound identical to a signal-carrying current that passes through it. If the technology can be made commercially viable, you might be... More »

Our Economic Cure? Innovation

Innovation, and making it more efficient, can turn gray skies blue

(Newser) - Democrats and Republicans do have something in common: Both parties are wrong on how to resuscitate the flat-lining US economy, Michael Mandel argues in BusinessWeek. Tax cuts or increased government spending aren’t the cure. “Innovation is the best—and maybe the only—way the US can get out... More »

Fungus Drug Zaps Cancer in Study

New drug starves tumors of blood

(Newser) - A powerful new cancer drug has been developed from a fungus discovered by accident, Reuters reports. The drug, called lodamin, is dramatically effective against a range of cancers and works by starving tumors of blood, according to a new study published in the journal Nature Biotechnology. Mice infected with cancer... More »

Oil-Slurping Nanotechnology Next Front in Fighting Spills

MIT scientists create mesh that keeps water out, can hold 20 times its weight in crude

(Newser) - Cleaning up oil might soon get faster and cheaper, thanks to nanotechnology. Scientists at MIT have crafted a paper-like substance that can absorb up to 20 times its weight, the Economist reports. The mesh of nanowires, each 1/1,000th the diameter of a human hair, feels and looks like paper—... More »

Berkeley, Stanford Partner with Saudi University

American schools to help develop science and technology graduate school

(Newser) - Berkeley and Stanford University will help choose faculty and develop curricula for a new university in Saudi Arabia, reports the San Jose Mercury News. The graduate-level King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, funded by a $10 billion gift from the king, will focus on fields like petrochemicals and nano-technology... More »

A.I. Will Match Human Brain in 20 Years

But nanobots in our neurons will make us smarter, too

(Newser) - One engineer and futurist says it’s only a matter of time before machines are as smart as people, and people are part machine, the BBC reports. Ray Kurzweil claims that artificial intelligence will produce human-level smarts and even emotions by 2029. Humans, meanwhile, will inject nanobots into their brains... More »

Silicon Could Convert Waste Heat Into Power

New nanowires add to chip tech's bag of tricks

(Newser) - Silicon could turn heat into electricity for cheaper than current technologies based on other materials, reports Technology Review. Researchers made nanowires out of silicon so that it would conduct electricity, but not heat. Normal silicon conducts both very well. The specially-made wires, however, convert heat applied at one end to... More »

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