POPSCI.COM: DARPA-funded nanotech drug automatically regulates morphine dose to injured soliders on the battlefield
The drug relies upon nanotech particles that carry both morphine and its antagonist, known as Naloxone. That creates a self-regulating feedback system where Naxolone only activates to suppress morphine when blood oxygen levels drop too low. The antagonist then goes inactive when oxygen blood levels return to normal, and allows more morphine to become available.
Glenn Reynolds (Instapundit) interview re: energy, nanotechnology, and aging
Great line from an interview with Instapundit:
While immortality is another story, an end to aging is something we might plausibly see within this century. Possibly within our lifetimes, though one of my friends says he's done the math and ours will probably be the last generation to die. That would suck.
Computer-Guided Nanoparticle Therapy Destroys Tumors
Gold nanoshells are among the most promising new nanoscale therapeutics being developed to kill tumors, acting as antennas that turn light energy into heat that cooks cancer to death. Now, a multi-institutional research team has shown that polymer-coated gold nanorods one-up their spherical counterparts, with a single dose completely destroying all tumors in a nonhuman animal model of human cancer.
Full article here.
How Close Are We to Real Nanotechnology?
"If we rearrange the atoms in coal we can make diamond," explains nanopioneer Dr. Ralph Merkle. "If we rearrange the atoms in sand (and add a few other trace elements) we can make computer chips. If we rearrange the atoms in dirt, water and air we can make potatoes."
"Such is the vision of nanotechnology – like the Mr. Fusion unit on the DeLorean time machine in the movie series Back to the Future, you can imagine dropping a banana peel into your Mr. Nano unit instead. Rather than the 1.5 GW of power required to power Dr. Emmett Brown’s time machine, you get Chicken Cordon Bleu (or a bag of potato chips if you prefer)."
Full article here.