woodchurch science

here’s a link to the guardian’s tech page which in this episode discusses smart materials and nanotechnology applications. good for a listen while you’re doing something else. you can even download it for your mp3 player.

this link should contain the most recent news in the nanotechnology area.

this link from new scientist gives you an idea of how small things are on the nanoscale. you can slow the scale down at the bottom by hovering over it with your mouse cursor.

some excellent work here: laura cross, jenna-leigh rimmer and ross rule, rachel and toni, kate leadbetter, amy cook, richard noonan. well done everyone.

by suspending tiny droplets of oil inside water ‘nanocontainers’ scientists have been able to gently clean old frescoes and renaissance paintings. the university of florence has shown that a liquid made up of these nanobuckets contained 95% less organic solvent than usual so it can lift grime without damaging the paint. this is especially important where paint has been apllied directly to the plaster and so flakes off more easily. here’s the abstract.

carry out a web search and prepare a presentation on any of these subjects.
what is nanotechnology? nanowerk, google
ceramic nanoparticles for cleaner diesel fuel: oxonica, nanowerk, google
nanotechnology for athletic clothing and footwear: nanovic, nanovip, p2i technology, google
lightweight longer life mobile batteries: nanotecture, mphase, google
nano and micro medicine including cancer treatments: google
nanotechnology and cosmetic dentistry: google
self-cleaning glass: google
new sun-block creams: google
dangers and concerns about nanoscience: safenano, google

be prepared to speak for 2 to 3 minutes about your chosen subject

forget spiderman, geckoman is the stickiest superhero. according to the university of turin, the secret of making a sticky yet non-stick material could lie in the branching bristles from fine carbon nanotubes. these would mimic the sticky nature of a gecko’s feet allowing to hang effortlessly upside down on even the smoothest of surfaces. coming soon? who knows we may all be able to chase each other up walls and across ceilings.

here’s a couple of presentations (danny ormond / katie jones) about pilkington’s aktiv glass and a general presentation on the subject of nanotechnology (tom hunt).

a collection of downloadable leaflets with current and hot topics in science. they are written mainly for journalists (lazy ones onviously!) who can’t be bothered researching stuff.
nanotechnology…in a nutshell
genetics…in a nutshell

mr pooley, where should this be filed? B1a, B1b or B2?

this fun animation tries to explain it.