Twisted electron beams could lead to manipulating individual atoms and electrons
Foresight Update 24.02—February 10, 2011
ISSN 1078-9731
Discuss these news stories at http://foresight.org/nanodot.
In this issue:
Foresight Events – Lectures
Foreseeing Future Technologies - Join Foresight
Events
Contact Foresight
Those interested in the structural DNA nanotechnology and related topics as a path toward advanced nanotechnology and molecular manufacturing may be interested in the Seventeenth International Conference on DNA Computing and Molecular Programming to be held 19-23 September, 2011 at Caltech in Pasadena, California. From the conference web site:
Research in DNA computing and molecular programming draws together mathematics, computer science, physics, chemistry, biology, and nanotechnology to address the analysis, design, and synthesis of information-based molecular systems. …
Irradiation with two wavelengths of visible light switches the position of a nitrogen atom close to a nickel ion, and in the process switches the magnetic state of the nickel ion. From AlphaGalileo via ScienceDaily "Tiny magnetic switch discovered" …
Sixteen-year-old nanotechnologist Amy Chyao won top prize at the 2010 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair for her work on a nanoparticle to attack cancer cells and joined three other winners in Michelle Obama's box during the State of the Union speech. From a New York Times article by Kenneth Chang "Nanotechnology Gets Star Turn at Speech" …
Because its size can be smaller than the wavelength of light, a new laser for nanotechnology could lead to more powerful microscopes, faster computers, and more efficient solar energy collectors. From American Friends Tel Aviv University via Science Daily "The 'Spaser' Heats Up Laser Technology" …
A news item on Technology Networks (free registration required) implies that RNA might be ready to join its more famous chemical cousin DNA as a promising path to developing advanced nanotechnology. From "Advance could Speed use of Genetic Material RNA in Nanotechnology"…
Christopher W. Ince of the Nanotechnology Research Foundation writes with another example of current nanofabrication technology providing tools to move toward more advanced technology.
A team of physicists from the University of Illinois have employed nanofabrication methods to observe a rare state of matter known as a 'half-quantum vortex'. The research, led by Mr. Rafi Budakian, may prove vital in advancing the science of quantum computing.…
An article in Science News by Marissa Cevallos explains how research reported last week in Science … could lead to upgraded electron microscopes that would use corkscrew electron beams to capture images of tiny subjects, and could possibly also lead to the ability to grab and manipulate individual atoms. From "A twisted way to take pictures"…
Following by a day the public event TEDxCaltech, "Feynman's Vision: The Next 50 Years," to be held at Caltech on Friday, 14 January 2011, the Kavli Futures Symposium
…will delve much deeper into the future possibilities of nanoscience. Our event title, "Plenty of Room in the Middle: Nanoscience – The Next 50 Years", reflects both its connection with the theme of the TEDxCaltech event, and what we perceive as vast future opportunities in scaling up from atomic assembly and individual nanodevices, to macroscopic systems and structures with emergent properties and functionality.
The event and a recent roundtable discussion by event participants are described on another Kavli Foundation page "Scaling Up: The Future of Nanoscience" …
Robert A. Freitas Jr. (2009 Foresight Institute Feynman Prize in Nanotechnology for Theory) has made available on his website "Comprehensive Nanorobotic Control of Human Morbidity and Aging" [1.8 MB PDF], Chapter 23 in Gregory M. Fahy, Michael D. West, L. Stephen Coles, and Steven B. Harris, eds, The Future of Aging: Pathways to Human Life Extension, Springer, New York, 2010, pp. 685-805. Freitas writes …
There is a substantial area of overlap between the new field of synthetic biology and the protein design path to advanced nanotechnology. Nearly two years ago we pointed to an important milestone on the protein design path: "Protein design revolution points toward advanced nanotechnology". Now, with nods to Science Daily and to KurzweilAI, we learn of another "groundbreaking achievement" along this path: "Princeton scientists construct synthetic proteins that sustain life" …
—Nanodot posts by James Lewis
Foresight Events – Lectures
Foresight Lectures
HT2 Wellness & Aging Summit
March 23, 2011
San Francisco, California
Christine Peterson will be a panelist on life extension and longevity.
Advancements in technologies such as nanotech, robotics, and biotech are promising to make major differences in our lives in the not-too-distant future, as the Industrial Revolution did to the agrarian world — to do for the physical world what the computer and Internet have done to the world of information.
Since 1986, the Foresight Institute has been in the forefront of a worldwide community of visionaries who work to help shape these possibilities into a positive, beneficial reality. If you would like to help us understand the potential of these technologies, and influence their direction, please consider becoming a member of the Foresight community. With your support, Foresight will continue to educate the general public on these technologies and what they will mean to our society.
To join:
http://foresight.org/members/index.html
Events
NanoManufacturing Conference & Exhibits
April 5-6, 2011
Drury Lane Conference Center
Oakbrook Terrace IL USA
Looking to understand what nanotechnology means for you? Need to understand how and why nanotechnology can improve your products, process and may even cut costs? Interested in learning about the latest applications and trends in top-down fabrication and bottom-up assembly techniques? Then this event is for you!
This conference will highlight the current, near-term, and future applications of nanotechnology and how they are transforming the way we manufacture products. Peer networking, information sharing, and technology exchange among the world's nanomanufacturing leaders will be a key feature of the event.
Key areas include:
- Self assembly and productive nanosystems
- Medical device and energy applications
- Bioengineering applications
- Top-down fabrication and bottom-up assembly
The Seventeenth International Conference on DNA Computing and Molecular Programming
September 19-23 2011
Caltech, Pasadena, California, USA
Research in DNA computing and molecular programming draws together mathematics, computer science, physics, chemistry, biology, and nanotechnology to address the analysis, design, and synthesis of information-based molecular systems. This annual meeting is the premier forum where scientists with diverse backgrounds come together with the common purpose of advancing the engineering and science of biology and chemistry from the point of view of computer science, physics, and mathematics. Continuing this tradition, the 17th International Conference on DNA Computing and Molecular Programming (DNA17), under the auspices of the International Society for Nanoscale Science, Computation and Engineering (ISNSCE), will focus on the most recent experimental and theoretical results that promise the greatest impact.
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