Beyond silicon – MIT demonstrates new transistor technology
MIT engineers have demonstrated a technology that could introduce an important new phase of the microelectronics revolution that has already brought us iPods, laptops and much more.
Nanotechnology
New targets may hit bull’s-eye for chip makers
The bull’s-eye solution to the semiconductor industry’s hunt for more exact means to measure the relative positions of ever-tinier devices squeezed by the millions onto silicon chips might be new types of targets, and not expensive new equipment, according to modeling studies by NIST.
Nanotechnology :: Former White House science advisor warns that nanotechnology’s potential threatened
“Nanoscale science and engineering promise to be as important as the steam engine, the transistor, and the Internet, and have the potential to revolutionize all other technologies” according to Neal Lane, former science advisor to US President Bill Clinton. “But that outcome is not guaranteed.”Dr. Lane made his remarks today at a Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies event at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.
Nanotechnology :: Consumers neutral on risks, benefits of nano – nanotechnology
The largest, most comprehensive survey of public perceptions of nanotechnology products finds US consumers are willing to use specific nano-containing products — even if there are health and safety risks — when the potential benefits are high. The study also finds US consumers rate nanotechnology as less risky than everyday technologies like herbicides, chemical disinfectants, handguns and food preservatives. The findings appear in December’s issue of Nature Nanotechnology.
Nanotechnology :: Dreaming of a nanotech Christmas – buy nanotechnology
The results of the first large-scale empirical study of how consumers consider risks and benefits when deciding whether to purchase or use specific nanotechnology products will appear in the December 2006 issue of the journal Nature Nanotechnology. The article’s lead author, Steven C. Currall and co-author, Neal Lane, will report their findings at a program at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 5, at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.
Night of the living enzyme
Inactive enzymes entombed in tiny honeycomb-shaped holes in silica — nano-chambers that mimic conditions in living cells — can spring to life, scientists discovered while attempting salvaging enzymes that had been in a refrigerator long past their expiration date. The finding opens up new possibilities for exploiting these enzyme traps in food processing, decontamination, biosensor design and any other pursuit that requires controlling catalysts and sustaining their activity.
Stem Cell :: Committee review of stem-cell fraud finds editors followed all rules
In handling fraudulent stem-cell research articles, journal editors went above and beyond existing procedures to try and verify the findings, but in today’s competitive publishing environment, more stringent, less trusting safeguards are now essential, an independent committee has concluded.
Silicon :: Brilliant growth without gold – Silicon nanowires
Max Planck researchers in Halle present new methods for manufacturing nanowires from silicon.
Delft University of Technology shines light on atomic transistor
Researchers from TU Delft and FOM Foundation have successfully measured transport through a single atom in a transistor. This research offers new insights into the behavior of so-called dopant atoms in silicon. The researchers are able to measure and manipulate a single dopant atom in a realistic semi-conducting environment. The individual behavior of dopant atoms is a stumbling block to the further miniaturisation of electronics. The work is published in Physical Review Letters.
Climate :: Innovative climate protection strategies – Bayer
The Bayer Group has long assigned climate protection top priority and is continuing its activities to improve its greenhouse gas performance. The company welcomes the goal of current government negotiations in Nairobi to achieve a successful global climate protection policy once the commitment period defined in the Kyoto Protocol has come to its conclusion in 2012.