Technology Update

While photovoltaic solar panels are showing up on more and more rooftops, they are not necessarily the best solar power solution.

A team of scientists from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and the University of North Texas Health Science Center, both in the United States, has shown that “good cholesterol” can act as a special delivery vehicle for the destruction of cancer.

Future materials, such as those created with nanotechnology, may help wean companies off rare earth minerals, according to this article.

The rigid semiconductor chips in today’s electronics will, in the future, be replaced by flexible and stretchable electronic devices, which can be embedded in almost any material imaginable.

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, United States, have developed a way to adhere an ultra-thin antibacterial coating to a wound.

The natural rubber (NR) industry in Sri Lanka can benefit from nanotechnology, according to this article.

As predicted, member state representatives refused the European Parliament’s demand to label clone-derived products, meaning that meat from the offspring of cloned animals could find its way onto the European Union market, with no-one being the wiser.

Researchers at Kansas State University (KSU), United States, are developing a nanotechnology-based biosensor that could allow for early detection of both cancer cells and pathogens, leading to increased food safety and reduced health risks.

An independent review of the United Kingdom’s humanitarian response system says the country must strengthen the way it responds to international emergencies if it is to cope with the anticipated rise in the number of disasters caused by earthquakes, floods and conflict.

A new technology that encapsulates antibiotics inside nanofibers has the ability to destroy drug-resistant bacteria so completely that scientists describe the remains as mere “ghosts.”

A new device created by a Harvard bioengineer and a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) aeronautical engineer, both in the United States, can detect single cancer cells in a blood sample, which could allow doctors to quickly determine if cancer has spread from its original site.

The first practical artificial leaf was unveiled this week at the 241st National Meeting of the American Chemical Society.

A nanotechnology-enabled rechargeable battery, which uses freshwater and seawater to create electricity, has been developed by researchers at the United States-based Stanford University.

South Africa will host the continent’s first Nanomedicine workshop, to be held in Magaliesberg from March 27 to 31, 2011.

South Africa’s Department of Science and Technology has acquired a High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM) that will be used to push the frontiers of nanotechnology research.

A new material containing an ingredient used to make bricks shows promise as a transparent coating for improving the strength and performance of plastic food packaging.

Scientists in Brazil have developed an effective way to use fibers from pineapple and banana plants in a new generation of automotive plastics that are stronger, lighter, and more eco-friendly than plastics now in use.

Solid-state nanopores are of great interest as developers hope to use the structures to characterize biopolymers, such as DNA, RNA and polypeptides.

How long can a nanofibre keep a memory of flavour?

Hybrid, coaxial nanowire photovoltaic cells, consisting of a crystalline silicon (c-Si) core and an amorphous silicon (a-Si) shell are an appealing idea.

Nanoscale magnetic domains have a central role in several biological and synthetic systems. Magnetic nanoparticles can be used as agents for cancer treatment or to stimulate different cell functions.