Wednesday, December 14, 2005
I Don't Get This
Computer simulations show that a common nanoparticle called a buckyball has the potential to damage DNA. The simulations suggest that buckyballs bind strongly to the DNA strands, distorting the molecules and interfering with functions like self-repair.I've talked about buckyballs before. Would someone please explain to me the difference between a "nanoparticle" and a molecule? Secondly, buckyballs are darn hard to make -- it's not like they are just floating about loose in the environment waiting to put the kibosh on someone's DNA. I doubt there has been more than a few hundred pounds syntesized in all of hsitory.
Conclusion -- nanotech is where the venture capital money is right now. So, chemistry becomes "nanotech" work to get that funding and environmental dangers from nanotech are invented to get more funding. A guess, yes - likely, yes.
