Nanotechnology News – Latest Headlines

How geckos cope with wet feet

Geckos are remarkable little creatures, clinging to almost any dry surface, and Alyssa Stark, from the University of Akron, USA, explains that they appear to be equally happy scampering through tropical rainforest canopies as they are in urban settings.

Aug 9th, 2012

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Charge separation in silver clusters

Center for Nanoscale Materials (CNM) users from the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne in Switzerland, working with the CNM Nanophotonics Group, have demonstrated the existence of long-lived charge-separated states in silver clusters.

Aug 9th, 2012

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Testing standards to support lab-on-a-chip commercialization

Lab on a chip (LOC) devices - microchip-size systems that can prepare and analyze tiny fluid samples with volumes ranging from a few microliters to sub-nanoliters - are envisioned to one day revolutionize how laboratory tasks such as diagnosing diseases and investigating forensic evidence are performed. However, a recent paper from the National Institute of Standards and Technology argues that before LOC technology can be fully commercialized, testing standards need to be developed and implemented.

Aug 8th, 2012

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Long-predicted fluctuations in cell membranes observed for first time

A long-standing mystery in cell biology may be closer to a solution thanks to measurements taken at the National Institute of Standards and Technology and France's Institut Laue-Langevin, where scientists have observed changes in the thickness of a model cell membrane for the first time. The findings, which confirm that long-predicted fluctuations occur in the membranes, may help biologists understand many basic cellular functions, including how membranes form pores.

Aug 8th, 2012

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Speedy ions could add zip to quantum computers (w/video)

Physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology can accelerate their beryllium ions from zero to 100 miles per hour and stop them in just a few microseconds. What's more, the ions come to a complete stop and hardly feel the effects of the ride. And they're not just good for submicroscopic racing - NIST physicists think their zippy ions may be useful in future quantum computers.

Aug 8th, 2012

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DNA code shapes gold nanoparticles

DNA holds the genetic code for all sorts of biological molecules and traits. But University of Illinois researchers have found that DNA's code can similarly shape metallic structures. The team found that DNA segments can direct the shape of gold nanoparticles - tiny gold crystals that have many applications in medicine, electronics and catalysis.

Aug 8th, 2012

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Five Hopkins students conduct nanotechnology research in Belgium

Each summer, Johns Hopkins Institute for NanoBioTechnology has funding to support several summer research internships abroad. The International Research Experience for Students program, funded by the National Science Foundation, provides support for students to work with researchers at The Inter-University MircroElectronics Centre (IMEC) in Leuven, Belgium. Students work at IMEC's world-class microfabrication facility and learn to design, fabricate and test a wide range of biomedical devices.

Aug 8th, 2012

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Quantum technologies just round the corner? New studies say it's likely

Researchers have realised that entanglement may not always be necessary, and new examples of technologies that can gain a quantum advantage without entanglement have been discovered over the past few years. A new study has focused on a technology called quantum discord. This phenomenon, far more robust and easily accessible than entanglement, can also deliver a quantum advantage: it could be harnessed to bring quantum technologies within easier reach than expected.

Aug 8th, 2012

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