Better batteries with nano-cables
Nano-sized cables made with titanium dioxide-coated carbon nanotubes could hold the key to developing new high-capacity batteries.
RSC Chemistry World: http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/News/2010/January/28011002.asp
2009, a big year for nano safety
SAFENANO provides a summary of key nano health and safety developments from 2009, and considers how these are likely to shape nano in 2010.
The directors of SAFENANO, a venture by the Institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM), United Kingdom, to help industrial and academic communities quantify and control the risks of nanotechnology to their workforce, as well as to consumers and the general population, have released an overview of what they consider some of the key developments in nanotechnology environmental health and safety (EHS) from 2009.
It is UK and EU centric but with some reference to Australia and the US, though I suspect that a lot of what applies to the UK and Europe is also applicable to Australia.
Unanswered questions
SAFENANO suggests that even though there has been an increased co-ordination at government level, increased knowledge sharing through a series of state of the art reviews as well as increased research funding opportunities, many fundamental questions remain unanswered and are likely to remain so for some time.
Similarly, they acknowledge an enormous increase in research worldwide with interesting studies emerging, yet they find that few of the key issues relating to exposure, toxicology and risk of nanoparticles and nanotubes remain answered, for example, what are safe levels of exposure for certain nanoparticles, appropriate measurement methods and agreed protocols for nanotubes.
Nano sunscreens
Sunscreen gets a mention (a topic that has received a lot of media attention in Australia). They review the various reports and research that has been done on this. In particular they highlight two Non-government Organisation (NGO) reports: One from Friends of the Earth who argue that adding nanoparticles to sunscreens presented an “unnecessary potential risk to our health and to the environment, with no significant gain”; the second from The Environmental Working Group who changed their position on nano sunscreens from previous years. Until 2009 the group stated that a lack of definitive safety data and consumer information on these common new ingredients make it very hard to support the use of nano. In their 2009 report they say that zinc and titanium-based formulations “are among the safest, most effective sunscreens on the market based on available evidence”. Their reasoning is as follows: “… many months and nearly 400 peer-reviewed studies later, we find ourselves drawing a different conclusion, and recommending some sunscreens that may contain nano-sized ingredients“.
SAFENANO paper
You can download their paper here
Jason Major
GNTIS (techNyou)
Rubber sheets could power pacemakers, mobile phones
Power-generating rubber films could harness natural body movements such as walking to power pacemakers, mobile phones and other electronic devices.
Pys Org: http://www.physorg.com/news183832835.html
Journal refernce
Princeton University. Published online 26 January 2010 in Nano Letters
Altered microbes turn biomass directly into fuel
Using the tools of synthetic biology a US team has developed a microbe that can produce an advanced biofuel directly from biomass.
U.S. Department of Energy’s Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory: http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2010/01/27/microbes-produce-biofuels/
Journal Reference
Published online in Nature 28 January 2010
And Nature News
Mouse skin cells turn directly into neurons
Scientists have transformed mouse skin cells directly into functional nerve cells with the application of just three genes, skipping the induced pluripotent stage.
Science Daily: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100127134237.htm
Journal reference
Stanford University School of Medicine. Research published in Nature online 27 January 2010
Scientists achieve first rewire of genetic switches
Researchers have successfully carried out the first rewire of genetic switches, creating what could be a vital tool for the development of new drugs and even future gene therapies.
Science Daily: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100125173244.htm
Journal reference
latest edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)
Nano-art
Nanoart21 is the latest in a stream of exhibitions of creating art from science. This selection of visually stunning images is worth a look.
Nanoart21 is the latest in a stream of exhibitions where we create art from science. Nanoart 21 is an online exhibition from artists and scientists displaying their creative side. Electron and atomic force microscopes create some visually stunning images, some made more so by the hand of the artist.
My favourites
There is a lot of intriguing art, but much of it seems to be doctored microscopy images. That is, artists jumping onto photoshop to add colour, contrast or morph images into something different. One image even put faces onto nano-lumps that resemble heads
Maybe, it is the science geek in me, but I enjoy the essentially undoctored images. Maybe it is because I find reality is just as intriguing and worthy of being called art as anything humans can create. For example this one caught my eye
Eitherway, it is worth a look
Jason
GNTIS (techNyou)
Five hard truths for synthetic biology
Can engineering approaches tame the complexity of living systems? Article explores five challenges for the field and how they might be resolved.
Nature: http://www.nature.com/news/2010/100120/full/463288a.html?s=news_rss
Australian scientists find cells critical to childhood leukemia
Scientists found stem cell-like cells in the thymus of rats that persisted and rapidly recovered after irradiation, indicating that these cells may be behind a common type of childhood leukaemia.
Eurekalert: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-01/uom-sdc012010.php
Research done in collaboration between The Royal Melbourne Hospital and University of Melbourne, Walter & Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research and Leeds Institute of Molecular Medicine, UK
Journal reference
Published Online January 21, 2010, Science
UK parents abandon stem cell operation for daughter
The parents of a girl with sight problems have given up plans to take their daughter to China for stem cell therapy.
This story was on the BBC website. Apart from news on legitimate stem cell research, it seemed all news about stem cells in the last few months was about local people heading off overseas for their ‘miracle’ stem cell cure, or their attempts at least to raise the money to do so.
The parents in the BBC story also initially believed such a treatment (at a cost of ₤30,000) would work miracles for their daughter, who suffers from a congenital condition that will eventually leave her blind.
In the time it took to raise most of the money they did some research about the science related to stem cell research and came to came to the conclusion that the risks were too high for potentially no benefit.
I thought the crucial bit of the story was the following: Since making their decision, Imogen (their daughter) has made progress, she can walk a few steps unaided, and her speech is improving. “It’s unbelievable the advances she has made in the last couple of months, it’s just out of this world and the problem is if we went to China we would have thought it’s the stem cells that did that, it just happens to be that we had waited.”
Be informed
Yes I am cynical about all these stem cell cures, and who am I to dash the hopes from people. However, I am not saying that people should not spend the money on these “treatments”, though I think it would be more accurate to say experiments. But this story is a good reminder about the importance of being informed.
Making the informed decision
I have mentioned in previous posts the Australian Stem Cell Centre’s Patient Information Handbook to assist patients to critically analyse stem cell treatments before considering taking part in them. It is a crucial read for anyone considering this sort of treatment.