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Scientists fear that nanomaterials could harm soil fertility and food quality

plantPatricia Holden, an environmental microbiologist at the University of California Santa Barbara, indicates that nanomaterials such as nano-zinc oxide and nano-cerium oxide can build up in crops and may under certain conditions damage soil. Nevertheless, she cautions people not to be “be scared of our soybeans. There’s still a lot we don’t know.”

 Abstract from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, September 11, 2012  [Link to Abstract]

Nanoparticle Pollution Could Stunt Crop Growth By Dave Mosher in Wired Magazine, August 23, 2012 [Link to Article]

 


Can Nanotech Save the Gulf?

Deepwater Horizon BP
Deepwater Horizon, on fire after the explosion
Source: US Coast Guard
The explosion of Deepwater Horizon, one of BP's massive oil rigs situated about 40 miles from the Louisiana coast, has been unleashing, according to some estimates, 20,000-100,000 barrels of oil daily since it exploded on April 21, 2010.

A controversial new nanotechnology dispersant may be the key to cleaning up the spill but many scientists are skeptical about the environmental impact of introducing nanoparticles into the Gulf.Full Article >

Drinking Water From the Charles River? Nanotech Filters Make it Possible

If you ever had the chance to walk along the banks of the Charles River in either Boston or Cambridge, MA, sipping on a cool glass of the opaque, and oftentimes foul smelling water would probably not be your first thought.

Seldon Technologies, a small startup company whose headquarters are located in Vermont, claim that their carbon nanotube filter technology can turn a cup of the Charles into the cleanest and best tasting water you've ever had.

Getting the Lead Out: Nanotech Paper Batteries

At Stanford, nanotubes + ink + paper = instant battery

BY JANELLE WEAVER - Stanford scientists are harnessing nanotechnology to quickly produce ultra-lightweight, bendable batteries and supercapacitors in the form of everyday paper. Simply coating a sheet of paper w\ith ink made of carbon nanotubes and silver nanowires makes a highly conductive storage device, said Yi Cui, assistant professor of materials science and engineering. More>>>

Media: Nanotech Uses for Energy, Cancer Treatment and Water Purification

Discovery Channel Nanotech
Click on Photo to Watch the Discovery Channel Video

Tunisia Launches First Nanotech Water Purification Project

January 12, 2010
From environmental-expert.com
Tunisia

Tunisia has launched the first project applying nanotechnology in the Arab Maghreb region of north western Africa. The project aims to monitor and purify the waters of the Medjerda River, the longest river in Tunisia. Three mobile laboratories will monitor river water, after which data will be analysed at a new research centre. The laboratories will then be mobilised to expand the project to other areas of the country. More>>>


Feynman and the Futurists

Richard Feynman and Nanotechnology
The Wall Street Journal, January 8, 2010

Feynman Nanotechnology

On Dec. 29, 1959, Richard P. Feynman gave an after-dinner talk at an annual American Physical Society meeting in Pasadena, Calif. Feynman was not the public figure he would later become—he had not yet received a Nobel Prize, unraveled the cause of the Challenger accident, written witty books of popular science, or been the subject of biographies, documentaries and even a play starring Alan Alda. But the 41-year-old was already respected by fellow physicists for his originality, his crackling intellect, and his roguish charm. More>>



*NEW* Information resource on the   social impact of nanotechnology




NEW CONFERENCES

>

>2013 IWA Symposium on Environmental Nanotechnology
Organizers: International Water Association (IWA), University of Queensland, and the University of Cincinnati
(24 April 2013 to 27 April 2013)
Nanjing University, Nanjing, China


The meeting aims at bringing together researchers, specialists, professors and students to exchange ideas and present their latest works on advances in nanotechnology and key environmental issues relating to water/wastewater treatment and water reuse.

>Gordon Research Conference on Environmental Nanotechnology
( 2-7 June 2013) Stowe, Vermont


 This GRC will offer a peek at the horizon of emerging innovations and attempt to identify potential environmental issues that must be addressed as we move into the future.  The conference attracts top scientists from around the world to speak, listen, and freely exchange ideas.

> Greener Nano 2010: 5th Annual Greener Nanoscience Conference and Program Review: "Reducing Principles to Practice"
(16-18 June ,2010)
Portland Oregon

> IEEE Green Technologies Conference Grapevine, Texas USA (Dallas-Ft. Worth) (15-16 April, 2010)
More at ieeetech.org.

> Nanotoxicology 2010 Edinburgh Napier University Edinburgh, Scotland, UK (2-4 June 2010)
More at nanotoxicology2010.org/.

 

Nanotechnology News

snet bannerProposals are now being solicited for the 2013 annual meeting of the Society for the Study of Nanoscience and Emerging Technologies (S.NET), to be held at Northeastern University, Boston, October 27-30. The theme for the 2013 meeting is Innovation, Responsibility, and Sustainable Development. 

[For more information]


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