Center for Nanotechnology in Society
University of California, Santa Barbara
WEEKLY CLIPS
April 16 - 24, 2007
April 18, 2007
Debunking the trillion dollar nanotechnology
market size hype
There seems to be an arms race going on among nanotechnology investment and
consulting firms as to who can come up with the highest figure for the size of the
"nanotechnology market". The current record stands at $2.95 trillion by 2015. The
granddaddy of the trillion-dollar forecasts of course is the National Science
Foundation’s (NSF) "$1 trillion by 2015", which inevitably gets quoted in many
articles, business plans and funding applications. The "nanotechnology market" as a
unified market was first quantified by the NSF in its massive 280-pages report from
March 2001. The problem with these forecasts is that they are based on a highly
inflationary data collection and compilation methodology. The result is that the
headline figures - $1 trillion!, $2 trillion!, $3 trillion! - are more reminiscent of
supermarket tabloids than serious market research. Some would call it pure hype.
This type of market size forecast leads to misguided expectations because few
people read the entire report and in the end only the misleading trillion-dollar
headline figure gets quoted out of context, even by people who should now better,
and finally achieves a life by itself.
http://www.nanowerk.com/spotlight/spotid=1792.php
April 17, 2007
NanoFrontiers: Visions for the Future of
Nanotechnology
Controlling the properties and behavior of matter at the smallest scale -- in effect,
"domesticating atoms" -- can help to overcome some of the world's biggest
challenges, concludes a new report on how diverse experts view the future of
nanotechnology. Released today, "NanoFrontiers: Visions for the Future of
Nanotechnology," summarizes discussions among over 50 scientists, engineers,
ethicists, policymakers, and other experts, as well as information gathered in followup interviews and from specially prepared background papers, about the long-term
potential of nanotechnology.
http://www.azonano.com/news.asp?newsID=3965
April 24, 2007
Is science engaging with the public on
nanotechnology?
Governments, academics and commercial bodies are all waiting to see if
developments in nanotechnology will cause the same uproar as that generated by
the biotech industry. A University of Leicester academic, Professor Rachel Gibson,
has been working on a study of the rise and expansion of debate on the
nanotechnology issue online, and she will present her findings to the annual meeting
of the International Communication Association in May 2007.
http://www.nanowerk.com/news/newsid=1825.php
April 20, 2007
Potocnik outlines balanced approach to developing
nanotechnology
EU Science and Research Commissioner Janez Potocnik has provided further details
of what is being done to keep Europe at the forefront of the fast-moving field of
nanotechnology in a safe and responsible way.
…To ensure greater protection, the Commissioner pointed to the need to further
identify safety concerns; collect more data for health and environmental impact
assessments of products, and act at the earliest possible stage through adjustments,
where necessary, of risk assessment procedures for nanotechnology.
http://cordis.europa.eu/fetch?CALLER=EN_NEWS&ACTION=D&SESSION=&RCN=27
537
April 17, 2007
Nanotechnology Progress, Dangers and
Widespread Hypocrisy, A Bioethics Essay By Dr
Richard Sparrow From Monash University
Having once been invited to talk on nanotechnology by virtue of my position as an
ethicist at Monash University, over the last 18 months I have found myself receiving
successive invitations to conferences on nanotechnology on the basis of my previous
presentations. At these events, I have often found myself placed in the position of a
critic of nanotechnology, despite the fact that I have no particular concerns about
nanotechnology which are not reflections of more general reservations about the
pace and direction of technological “progress”.
However, what I have become over this period is concerned about the way in which
public discussion of nanotechnology is being framed. A not-so-subtle hypocrisy
pervades discussion of nanotechnology. Enthusiasts for nanotechnology make one
set of claims when they want to advertise and promote this technology and another,
often directly opposed, set of claims when sceptics about the technology question
their enthusiasm. As a consequence, the terms of the debate about nanotechnology
shift so as to hamper substantial critical engagement about the future of this
technology.
It may be that nanotechnology raises no distinctive, ethical, political, or
environmental issues.
http://www.azonano.com/Details.asp?ArticleID=1894
April 18, 2007
Nanotechnology Workers Need Protection from
Airborne Nanomaterials, Experts Say
A newly published article by two occupational health experts is suggesting a new
methods and tools for measuring exposure to airborne engineered nanomaterials.
The health experts are also suggesting that these measures will be required to
protect the health of workers in nanotechnology-related jobs. An estimated total of
10 million people have been predicted to be in nanotechnology jobs by 2014,
according to the article published in the inaugural issue of the journal
Nanotoxicology.
http://caribjournal.com/2007/04/17/nanotechnology-workers-need-protectionfrom-airborne-nanomaterials-experts-say/
April 24, 2007
Berkeley issues nanotechnology material
disclosure guidelines
Back in December we reported that the City of Berkeley became the first city to
attempt to regulate the fast-growing use of nanotechnology in industry. Berkeley has
adopted what they call a "manufactured nanoscale material disclosure ordinance"
which has been incorporated into the city's hazardous materials business plan HMBP
requirements (Title 15, Berkeley Municipal Code and by reference, Chapter 6.95
Division 20 of California Health & Safety Code).
Berkeley has now issued a 3-page "Introduction to Manufactured Nanoscale Material
Health & Safety Disclosure". It covers the reporting period of June 1, 2007-June 2,
2008.
Facilities that produce or handle manufactured nanoscale materials (defined as
manufactured chemicals that are engineered and which have one dimension less
than 100 nanometers) are required to submit a report, incorporating the items listed
in document, to the Toxics Management Division (TMD) by June 1, 2007.
http://www.nanowerk.com/news/newsid=1826.php
April 18, 2007
Russia to invest over US$1 billion in
nanotechnology in next three years
MOSCOW: Russia will pour over US$1 billion (€740 million) in the next three years
into equipment for nanotechnology research as it uses massive oil and gas export
earnings to seek to diversify an economy now heavily dependent on raw materials,
First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov said Wednesday.
…"Russia's economic potential has been restored, the possibilities for major scientific
research are opening up," Putin said. "The concentration of our resources should
stimulate the development of new technologies in our country. This will be key also
from the point of view of the creation the newest, modern and supereffective
weapons systems."
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/04/18/technology/EU-TEC-RussiaNanotechnology.php
April 22, 2007
Iranians Enjoyed Nanotechnology 3000 Years Ago
After 20 years, studies of Iranian researchers in Tchogha Zanbil and Pasargadae
historical sites led into tracing nanotechnology in these two World Heritage Sites.
According to researchers, implementing nanotechnology in these monuments is the
main reason for their 3000-year-old survival. Researchers also believe that the
special atomic combination which was used in this technique caused some
difference between the elements of Tchogha Zanbil with its surrounding natural
elements.
http://www.iranian.ws/iran_news/publish/article_21567.shtml
April 20, 2007
Nanoforum Launches Survey on Nanotechnology
Commercialization in Europe
Nanoforum, Europe’s Nanotechnology Gateway, is conducting a survey to identify
barriers and offer advice to the European Commission as to the measures which
could be put in place to assist Europe in commercializing nanotechnologies.
…The survey is being sent widely to the European community and its outcomes will
be discussed at a dedicated workshop to be held during EuroNanoForum2007 on
June 21, 2007, in Düsseldorf.
http://www.nanovip.com/node/3116
April 23, 2007
IBM goes inside the atom
Breakthrough has major implications for medicine and nanotechnology
In a scientific breakthrough that could have major implications for medicine and
technology, IBM Corp. researchers say they’ve discovered a way to not just look at
clusters of atoms but for the first time look inside them.
Scientists at IBM’s Almaden Research Center in California say the technique is the
next step toward building new types of microscopes that can see the structure of
individual atoms in three dimensions.
http://thechronicleherald.ca/Business/680593.html
April 23, 2007
Nanotechnology may help heal the body
WASHINGTON -- A new U.S. animal study suggests nanotechnology might lead to new
treatments for spinal cord injuries, diabetes and other diseases.
Samuel Stupp, director of the Institute of BioNanotechnology in Medicine at
Northwestern University is combining nanotechnology and biology to enable the body
to heal itself -- and he reports achieving amazing early results.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/index.php?feed=Science&article=UPI-120070423-15305600-bc-us-nanomedical.xml
April 23, 2007
Tiny technology is very big deal
There will be some teeny tiny discussions going on in Akron for the next two days.
The city is hosting the fourth Ohio Nanotechnology Summit at the John S. Knight
Center, an opportunity for businesses and academic researchers to share news and
look for partners in their atomic-scale world.
http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/business/17107786.htm
April 21, 2007
Trips to the NanoFrontier; New Podcasts,
Newsletter Look to the Future of Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology's many anticipated benefits will arrive in waves of innovation,
beginning with today's stain-resistant clothing and other first-generation applications
and extending decades into the future, when extraordinarily advanced products, from
self-repairing tissues to quantum computers, may become practical.
Given the incredible promise of the fast emerging field-and the billions in public and
private investment that it has attracted-the Wilson Center's Project on Emerging
Nanotechnologies (PEN) launched today a new series of NanoFrontiers newsletters
and podcasts focused on progress toward exciting applications on the horizon of
nanotechnology. Intended to encourage broader public understanding of
nanotechnology, both are available on the PEN website at:
http://www.nanotechproject.org
http://nanotechwire.com/news.asp?nid=4557
To be removed from this email list, please reply to valerie@cns.ucsb.edu