Nano, Nano...

Nano, Nano...

   In yet another set of surprises for me, I happened to glance at one of the special editions of National Geographic 100 Scientific Discoveries That Changed the World (on newsstands for another week or so) thinking that I'd be able to pick out at least a dozen or so (I had tried this earlier with similar "greatest inventions lists" in Smithsonian, Popular Science and The Atlantic and failed miserably).  Alas, it was not to be (spoiler alert...before reading further take a quick guess at the top 10 answers you would pick; cellphone (no), computer (no), bucky balls (yes)).

    The arrival of funding from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research to a distant researcher at Northwestern University took the top spot.  To first provide some background, the researcher was Chad Mirkin who has gone on to author over 480 scientific manuscripts, found four companies and hold over 440 patents and/or patent applications.  Fifteen years ago (1997 he began research but is credited with prefecting the technology in 1999) he created nanolithography.

    Now, you might just be saying, nano-what?  Is this writing with tiny ink dots such as one sees on Kindle tablets (no).  This is how the magazine put it:  Nanolithography is a way of manipulating matter on the scale of individual atoms in order to create circuit boards for a variety of electronic devices.  Through the use of an atomic-force microscope, nanomaterials such as nanocrystals, nanolayers and nanotubes are arranged into structures.  Dip pen nanotechnology, developed in 1999 by Chad Mirkin of Northwestern University, has allowed circuit boards to become much smaller.  Today’s cellphones, computers and GPS systems would not be as compact as they are without the technique known as nanolithography, one branch of the revolutionary science of nanotechnology.

Today’s cell phones, computers and GPS systems would not be as compact as they are without the technique known as nanolithography, one branch of the revolutionary science of nanotechnology. - See more at: http://www.northwestern.edu/newscenter/stories/2012/03/national-geographic-discoveries.html#sthash.zujXagdM.dpuf

Nanolithography is a way of manipulating matter on the scale of individual atoms in order to create circuit boards for a variety of electronic devices. Through the use of an atomic-force microscope … nanomaterials such as nanocrystals, nanolayers and nanotubes are arranged into structures. Dip pen nanotechnology, developed in 1999 by Chad Mirkin of Northwestern University, has allowed circuit boards to become much smaller. - See more at: http://www.northwestern.edu/newscenter/stories/2012/03/national-geographic-discoveries.html#sthash.zujXagdM.dpuf

Nanolithography is a way of manipulating matter on the scale of individual atoms in order to create circuit boards for a variety of electronic devices. Through the use of an atomic-force microscope … nanomaterials such as nanocrystals, nanolayers and nanotubes are arranged into structures. Dip pen nanotechnology, developed in 1999 by Chad Mirkin of Northwestern University, has allowed circuit boards to become much smaller. - See more at: http://www.northwestern.edu/newscenter/stories/2012/03/national-geographic-discoveries.html#sthash.zujXagdM.dpuf

Nanolithography is a way of manipulating matter on the scale of individual atoms in order to create circuit boards for a variety of electronic devices. Through the use of an atomic-force microscope … nanomaterials such as nanocrystals, nanolayers and nanotubes are arranged into structures. Dip pen nanotechnology, developed in 1999 by Chad Mirkin of Northwestern University, has allowed circuit boards to become much smaller. - See more at: http://www.northwestern.edu/newscenter/stories/2012/03/national-geographic-discoveries.html#sthash.zujXagdM.dpuf

Nanolithography is a way of manipulating matter on the scale of individual atoms in order to create circuit boards for a variety of electronic devices. Through the use of an atomic-force microscope … nanomaterials such as nanocrystals, nanolayers and nanotubes are arranged into structures. Dip pen nanotechnology, developed in 1999 by Chad Mirkin of Northwestern University, has allowed circuit boards to become much smaller. - See more at: http://www.northwestern.edu/newscenter/stories/2012/03/national-geographic-discoveries.html#sthash.zujXagdM.dpuf

Nanolithography is a way of manipulating matter on the scale of individual atoms in order to create circuit boards for a variety of electronic devices. Through the use of an atomic-force microscope … nanomaterials such as nanocrystals, nanolayers and nanotubes are arranged into structures. Dip pen nanotechnology, developed in 1999 by Chad Mirkin of Northwestern University, has allowed circuit boards to become much smaller. - See more at: http://www.northwestern.edu/newscenter/stories/2012/03/national-geographic-discoveries.html#sthash.zujXagdM.dpuf

   Number 2 on the magazine's list was nanotubes, a structure 50 times stronger than steel and often 1/100,000 the size of a human hair...oh, nanotubes are also capable of being good semiconductors.  Did I mention that they can also be made of plastic? 

   Welcome to the age of nanotechnology.  I first learned of some of this from my mother's hearing test.  Her tiny hearing aids measure incoming sound frequencies 30,000 times each second, store all of her data (usage, frequency ranges and down time) for years, and each contains 18,000 transistors.  All of this on a chip smaller than the eraser on a pencil.  But even these figures are on a scale far too large for a nanometer.  To give just one perspective, if the diameter of a nanometer (again, 1/100,000th the size of a human hair) were the size of a marble, our earth's diameter would be 1 meter (or a little larger than a yardstick).  Take something a bit larger than 2 nanometers and you have the approximate size of  DNA, all of the genetic information to make virtually any living organism, including us.

   So why should any of this tiny, too-small-to-be-seen world matter to you?  Because almost silently, it is appearing almost invisibly in products you likely use everyday...toothpaste, makeup, candies, clothing, pesticides, packaging, sunscreens, even dental implants.  So far, according to Mother Earth News, nanotechnology was a $251 billion industry 5 years ago...in another year, it will likely be a $2.4 trillion industry.  Nanoparticles can be inhaled, absorbed through the skin or ingested.  According to the article, Nanoparticles’ small size allows them to circulate through the body when ingested, reaching potentially sensitive target sites, such as bone marrow, lymph nodes, the spleen, the brain, the liver and the heart.  After nanoparticles are in the body, some types may have the ability to translocate to various organs and the central nervous system...one study of rats showed that nanoparticles of titanium dioxide produced 43 times more pulmonary inflammation than larger particles of the compound.

   To date, the U.S. issues only voluntary guidelines, recommending that companies consult with the FDA before releasing a product containing nanoparticles (both Europe and Canada have laws regulating such use).  It's something to think about next time you chomp down on an M&M or a bowl of Jell-O. 

   If this at all interests, scares or worries you, there is one site methodically putting together a list of companies and products using nanoparticles, and letting you know whether they (the company) are advertising such.  It's a bit daunting, and might take you awhile to get through all of the products...but it might make you hesitate a bit before applying that makeup or slathering on that sunscreen.  Nano, nano...a small version of Mork coming back to enter us.