The nanometer scale is where physicists, chemists, biologists, materials scientists and engineers met to create a new technology - nanotechnology. Scarcely imagined a few decades ago, it will certainly dominate the 21st century and affect our lives in ways not yet fully predictable. By definition, nanotech is far too small to be visible to the human eye, and so its effects may well catch us by surprise. Although nanotech still has a science-fiction aura, there are actually consumer products already available which employ nanotech - sunscreen, paint, tennis balls, non-staining fabrics, and some recently approved drugs. The variety of new products and technologies that will spin out of nanoscience is limited only by the imagination of the scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs drawn to this new field - the Nanotech Pioneers. Steve Edwards presents nanotechnology and its leading makers in an easily understandable fashion, suited for all readers regardless of academic background, but with enough facts and details to separate the hype from the real nanotech that is just around the next corner: superior materials stronger, lighter, harder, better smart drugs that specifically target infected or malicious cells lifelike prosthetics, such as limb, joint or organ replacements, even artificial eyes brain/computer interfaces new computer architectures with immense capacities and abilities new kinds of power sources that lessen our fossil fuel dependence With this book, Steven Edwards brings nanotechnology closer to the science-interested general public as well as scientists, students, organizations, journalists, politicians, and entrepreneurs.

Steve A. Edwards obtained his Ph.D. in Biology from the University of California in San Diego in 1980, then spent four years as an NIH postdoctoral fellow at Salk Institute at La Jolla, as well as holding a position of assistant professor at the biochemistry department of Meharry Medical College, Nashville. Since 1994, he has been a free-lance writer and from 1997 onwards, he has been a free-lance medical technology analyst for Business Communications Company, Inc., Norwalk. From 1998 on, he has taken on several editorial positions with BCC, serving as Contributing Editor for Medical Materials Update, Managing Editor of Applied Genetics News and Drug Discover/Technology News, and as editor for Nano-Bio Convergence News, Cell Therapy News, and Biomolecular Diagnostics News. From 2002 to date, he has also been Vice President (Technologies) at Phaelixe, Inc. He received the American Heart Association New Investigator Award (1991-1993) and the NHLBI Minority School Faculty Development Award (1992-1994).

Leseprobe

Chapter 1: The Promise of Nanotechnology DEFINING NANOTECHNOLOGY TOP-DOWN VERSUS BOTTOM-UP MANUFACTURING WHAT IS IN SOOT? - DIFFERENT FORMS OF CARBON AN ALTERNATIVE NATURE MONEY MAKES THE WORLD GO ''ROUND WHO KNOWS ABOUT NANO? THE PROMISE OF NANO SKEPTICS CONTEMPORANEOUS HISTORY Chapter 2: The Visionaries RICHARD FEYNMAN K. ERIC DREXLER RALPH MERKLE RAY KURZWEIL CRITICISM OF THE DREXLERIAN VISION JAMES VON EHR MIKE ROCO Chapter 3: On the Road to Nano- LITHOGRAPHY MOLECULAR BIOLOGY SUPRAMOLECULAR CHEMISTRY Chapter 4: Nanotools THE ELECTRON MICROSCOPE SCANNING PROBE MICROSCOPES: STM, AFM AND VARIANTS THEREOF ANGSTROVISION NANOMANIPULATORS Chapter 5: Nanoparticles and Other Nanomaterials DISCOVERING THE BUCKYBALL CARBON NANOTUBES DENDRIMERS Antibodies and anti-antibodies Dendrimers as sensors Dendrimers as Drugs Dendrimeric Displays QUANTUM DOTS Colloidal Quantum Dots Quantum Dots in Biology and Medicine Quantum Dots in Electronics Chapter 6: Learning From Old Mother Nature THE GECKO''S FOOT THE EYE OF THE STARFISH---THE OPTICAL NETWORK OF THE SPONGE THE ABALONE''S SHELL DIATOMS-THE ORIGINAL SILICON CHIPS NATURAL NANOTUBES SYNTHETIC NERVE MEMBRANES CO-OPTING BIOLOGY Chapter 7: Nanoelectronics SPINTRONICS NANOTUBE MEMORY CHIPS: NRAM NANOWIRES THIN FILMS OF GLOWING POLYMERS NANOROBOTICS Chapter 8: Nanotech Enabled Biomedicine Stages DELIVERING DRUGS MEDICAL IMAGING-X-Ray Tubes MAKING THE WORLD SAFE FOR MRI (PLUS SOME OTHER STUFF) Other Contrast Agents NANOSHELLS FOR THERAPY PUMPS THE STRANGE CASE OF NANOBACTERIA MEDICAL DIAGNOSTICS Smart Dust Nanoarrays for Biomedical Assays MOVING WATER AROUND, A LITTLE AT A TIME NANOSCALE ANTENNA CONTROLS DNA ARTIFICIAL JOINTS ARTIFICIAL ORGANS The Artificial Retina Brain/Machine Interface ARTIFICIAL CELLS RE-INVENTING BIOLOGY Chapter 9: Financing Nanotech Dreams CHARLIE HARRIS, VENTURE CAPITALIST IMPLEMENTING THE NATIONAL NANOTECH INITIATIVE Chapter 10: Mega-Sized Projects that Could Use Tiny Technology--Three Somewhat Grandiose Challenges ENERGY-INDEPENDENCE FROM FOSSIL FUELS Green energy THE SPACE ELEVATOR BUILDING A QUANTUM COMPUTER How do you build a quantum computer? Chapter 11: Fear of Nano--Dangers and Ethical Challenges THE GREY GOO SCENARIO THE GREEN GOO SCENARIO ENVIRONMENTAL CATASTROPHE DUE TO INHALEABLE OR INGESTIBLE NANOPARTICLES PEOPLE WILL LIVE FOREVER LEADING TO OVERPOPULATION ONLY RICH PEOPLE WILL LIVE FOREVER NANOTECHNOLOGY WILL TURN US INTO CYBORGS NANOTECHNOLOGY COULD CREATE WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION NANOTECH WILL CREATE MACHINES THAT ARE SMARTER THAN HUMAN BEINGS NANOTECH WILL HASTEN THE ARRIVAL OF THE SINGULARITY REGULATING NANOTECH Chapter 12: Final Thoughts on The Destination

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