nanotechnology

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Scientists may be getting closer to unraveling the secrets of photosynthesis, reports New Scientist Tech's Colin Barras. In a new study published in the journal ChemPhysChem, a team of Chinese scientists from the Hebei Normal University of Science and Technolog...

Full Illustration of Article, complete with lame hockey rink analogy

A new Canadian study looks at the risks of engineered nanomaterials, and raises serious concerns. According to Martin Mittelstaedt in the Globe and Mail, the Council of Canadian Academies was asked by Health Canada to "study the state of knowledge about these novel substances and the regulatory changes needed to oversee their use. They concluded that "there are inadequate data to inform quantitative risk assessments on current and emerging nanomaterials." Their small size, the report says, may allow them "to usur...

If the mechanical mouth we reported on this week is to be used for taste testing, it may need a nanotube tongue to judge the strength of chilli sauce.Researchers at Oxford University have worked out that the tiny structures provide an easy way to compare the amounts of capsaicinoids - the compounds that set off our pain-sensing machinery. The image above shows some of their lab equipment - sauces from Da' Bomb Ground Zero to Mad Dog's Revenge.Chilli sauces are usually rated using a technique not dissimilar to homeopathy that you can easily try at home.