National Nanotechnology Initiative Amendments Act enters U.S. Senate. U.S. Senators John Kerry and Olympia Snowe this week introduced the National Nanotechnology Initiative Amendments Act of 2008. The legislation was passed by the House of Representatives last month. The legislation aims to toughen the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) by increasing its commitment to environmental health and safety research. Sens. Inouye, Stevens, Pryor, Smith, and Wyden have co-sponsored the bill. "Nanotechnology is a huge part of America's future, but it'll never take off if people don't trust that it's safe," said Sen. Kerry. "As we begin to further understand the immense capacity of this technology to improve our quality of life, public health and environmental safety must be top priorities."SmallTimes 7.18.08

New Nano-Device Detects Light from Big Bang. An electronic circuit 100 times smaller than a hair, could help astronomers shed light on the universe's creation. The experimental device, developed by a team of physicists from NASA and several universities, is potentially 100 times more sensitive than existing "bolometers" or detectors of infrared and submillimeter waves-so sensitive that it can detect even a single photon of infrared light. This represents a significant breakthrough for scientists who hope to use such technology in space-borne telescopes to measure the invisible light that makes up 98 percent of light emitted since the "big bang."Physorg 7.10.08

Molecular Hula Hoop. Spinning motion of a molecular rotor detected...Nanoscience has produced components for molecular-scale machines. One such device is a rotor, a movable component that rotates around an axis. Trying to observe such rotational motion on the molecular scale is an extremely difficult undertaking. Japanese researchers at the Universities of Osaka and Kyoto have now met this challenge. As Akira Harada and his team report in the journal Angewandte Chemie, they were able to get "snapshots" of individual molecular rotors caught in motion. As the subject of their study the researchers chose a rotaxane. This is a two-part molecular system: A rod-shaped molecule is threaded by a second, ring-shaped molecule like a cuff while a stopper at the end of the rod prevents the ring from coming off. Physorg 7.17.08

Click here to download a special feature video of my Dermal Display animation with new verbal narration by the author Robert A. Freitas Jr. from his presentation at the 6th Alcor conference.