A
guide to the latest in nanoscience and technology research from
the team that brings you Materials Today.
February 2006
Cover story
Light can influence the motion
of particles, from a single cell down to a single atom. This
has led to the field of optical micromanipulation, where one
may guide, trap, and sort objects in this size range. This issue’s
cover story explores the range of experiments that can be performed
in biological and colloidal sciences, with positional sensitivity
at the angstrom level and force resolution at the femtoNewton
level. Kishan Dholakia and Peter Reece
Using nanoparticles
instead of molecular fluorophores as labels
improves sensitivity, selectivity, and multiplexing capacity,
especially in bioaffinity sensors for detecting nucleic
acids and
proteins, eventually for point-of-care use. Natalia C. Tansil and Zhiqiang
Gao
Recent breakthroughs in
nanotechnology and nanofabrication
techniques promise to overcome some of the limitations
in
miniaturizing biomedical devices for genomics and proteomics.
Mohamad Reza Mohamadi, Laili Mahmoudian, Noritada
Kaji,
Manabu Tokeshi, Hiroshi Chuman, and Yoshinobu
Baba
Mapping the uncharted ethical
and social topography of nanotechnologies is posing many
questions for scientists, clinicians, and the public to
debate
Donald Bruce
A great deal of money is
being spent on nanotech research, but little of it on
societal and ethical implications: a summit is needed
to share findings and failures David M. Berube
