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.

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