Home > News > irishtimes.com
November 27th, 2009
irishtimes.com
Abstract:
At the "nano" level - where particles have at least one dimension of less than 100 nanometres - materials can often behave differently than their bulk counterparts, opening up new opportunities for improving medicine, electronics and a swathe of consumer products. But it also presents a need to monitor safety closely.
With such a disruptive technology, it's hardly surprising that ethical questions arise, and they are engagingly discussed in a new book, Nanoethics - Big Ethical Issues with Small Technology by Dr Dónal O'Mathúna.
"We have literally a small technology in our hands and we have a lot of human decisions about where we are going to take this. Where we need to focus our attention now is in these areas - and they are not unique to nanotechnology; they are getting back at those value systems that are driving all our social development," says O'Mathúna, a senior lecturer in ethics, decision-making and evidence at Dublin City University. "There's a huge amount of funding and investment and academic and industrial interest in the area, yet very low attention and general awareness on the public's level of what is happening here."
Source:
irishtimes.com
Bookmark:
News and information
How do cold ions slide May 24th, 2013
Heinrich Rohrer dies at 79; a father of nanotechnology: With IBM colleague Gerd Binnig, Rohrer invented the scanning tunneling microscope, which can show individual atoms on a surface and move them around May 23rd, 2013
Gold nanocrystal vibration captured on billion-frames-per-second film May 23rd, 2013
Glowing Plant Releases Maker Kit, Enabling Anyone to Make a Glowing Plant at Home: Glowing Plant seeks funds via crowdfunding and raises almost $400,000 May 23rd, 2013
Ethics
NIA Public Briefing: Nanotechnology and the Council of Europe May 17th, 2013
New approach to testing health, environmental effects of nanoparticles April 8th, 2013
NYS Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli Releases Audit That Determines Fuller Road Management Corporation is Safeguarding Public Funds: Report concludes that FRMC fosters ethical business climate in supporting growth at NanoCollege January 26th, 2013
Notre Dame study explores the potential benefits and threats of nanotechnology research January 25th, 2013
Preparing for Nano
Durnham University's DEEPEN project comes to a close September 26th, 2012
Technical Seminar at ANFoS 2012 August 22nd, 2012
Nanotechnology shows we can innovate without economic growth April 12th, 2012
Thailand to host NanoThailand 2012 December 18th, 2011
Govt.-Legislation/Regulation/Funding/Policy
How do cold ions slide May 24th, 2013
Gold nanocrystal vibration captured on billion-frames-per-second film May 23rd, 2013
Whirlpools on the Nanoscale Could Multiply Magnetic Memory: At the Advanced Light Source, Berkeley Lab scientists join an international team to control spin orientation in magnetic nanodisks May 22nd, 2013
Atomic-Scale Investigations Solve Key Puzzle of LED Efficiency: MIT and Brookhaven Lab scientists use electron microscopy imaging techniques to settle a solid-state controversy and raise new experimental possibilities May 22nd, 2013
Possible Futures
Lifeboat publishes its first book: The Lifeboat Foundation has published its first book, "The Human Race to the Future: What Could Happen -- and What to Do" May 14th, 2013
UC Santa Barbara History Professor's Book Elucidates, Celebrates ‘Visioneers' May 14th, 2013
Conceptual Nanomedical Lipofuscin Removal Strategy April 29th, 2013
The Global Desalination Market 2013-2023 April 24th, 2013
Nanomedicine
UofL scientists uncover how grapefruits provide a secret weapon in medical drug delivery May 22nd, 2013
Single-Cell Transfection Tool Enables Added Control for Biological Studies: McCormick researchers develop method of delivering molecules into targeted cells May 22nd, 2013
How Gold Nanoparticles Can Help Fight Ovarian Cancer May 21st, 2013
MU Researchers Develop Radioactive Nanoparticles that Target Cancer Cells: This is an early step toward developing therapies for metastasized cancers, MU scientist says May 21st, 2013
Nanoelectronics
Imec and Renesas collaborate on ultra-low power short range radios: Collaboration will develop robust wireless solutions for future electronics May 16th, 2013
Piezoelectric 'taxel' arrays convert motion to electronic signals for tactile imaging April 25th, 2013
Battery and Memory Device in One April 25th, 2013
Secret of the Crystal's Corners: New Nanowire Structure Has Potential to Increase Semiconductor Applications: University of Cincinnati research describes discovery of a new structure that is a fundamental game changer in the physics of semiconductor nanowires April 23rd, 2013
Announcements
How do cold ions slide May 24th, 2013
Heinrich Rohrer dies at 79; a father of nanotechnology: With IBM colleague Gerd Binnig, Rohrer invented the scanning tunneling microscope, which can show individual atoms on a surface and move them around May 23rd, 2013
Gold nanocrystal vibration captured on billion-frames-per-second film May 23rd, 2013
Glowing Plant Releases Maker Kit, Enabling Anyone to Make a Glowing Plant at Home: Glowing Plant seeks funds via crowdfunding and raises almost $400,000 May 23rd, 2013
Water
Bacterial spare parts filter antibiotic residue from groundwater May 22nd, 2013
Study Led by George Washington University Professor Provides Better Understanding of Water’s Freezing Behavior at Nanoscale May 21st, 2013
New Stanford Nanoscavengers Could Usher In Next Generation Water Purification May 15th, 2013
The University of Wyoming uses Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis to characterize nanoparticles in natural environments May 14th, 2013
Sports
UNL team's discovery yields supertough, strong nanofibers April 24th, 2013
Graphene Could Help Prevent Another Lance Armstrong January 15th, 2013
Nanoscale impulse radar measures depth of snow and ice December 18th, 2012
Research and Markets: The Global Nanotechnology and Nanomaterials Industry 2013 Report: Stage of Development, Global Activity and Market Opportunities December 16th, 2012
Textiles/Clothing
Nanoadsorbent Synthesized to Remove Toxic Dyes from Textile Industry Wastewater May 16th, 2013
Miller Sports Aspen Brings European Fashion to Aspen With Designer Ski Wear with Goldwin and Toni Sailer May 3rd, 2013
Revolutionary new device joins world of smart electronics: Unique properties of graphene and graph Exeter combine to create a new flexible, transparent, photosensitive device April 19th, 2013
Peratech working on "Nose in clothes" and touch technology for wearable electronics: QTC sensors in clothes can monitor vital signs for illness and warn of exposure to dangerous chemicals March 18th, 2013
Personal Care
New synthesis method produces nanoparticles in high quantities February 25th, 2013
Harris & Harris Group Notes Solazyme and Mitsui Multi-Year Agreement February 7th, 2013
X-rays reveal uptake of nanoparticles by soya bean crops: Metals contained in nanoparticles can enter into the food chain February 6th, 2013
Nature: super gel stiffens when heated January 23rd, 2013
Safety-Nanoparticles/Risk management
Conference Scheduled June 5-7 on Safe Use of Nanotechnology in Environmental Remediation May 23rd, 2013
NIA Public Briefing: Nanotechnology and the Council of Europe May 17th, 2013
Squishy hydrogels may be the ticket for studying biological effects of nanoparticles May 15th, 2013
Ubiquitous engineered nanomaterials cause lung inflammation, study finds: Substances are used in everything from paint to sporting equipment May 6th, 2013
Nanobiotechnology
Bacterial spare parts filter antibiotic residue from groundwater May 22nd, 2013
Single-Cell Transfection Tool Enables Added Control for Biological Studies: McCormick researchers develop method of delivering molecules into targeted cells May 22nd, 2013
Researchers Perform Fastest Measurements Ever Made of Ion Channel Proteins May 20th, 2013
Artificial Forest for Solar Water-Splitting: Berkeley Lab Researchers Report First Fully Integrated Artificial Photosynthesis Nanosystem May 17th, 2013