'Cooking' Carbon Nanotubes Like Spaghetti

Roland Piquepaille writes "Scientists from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have developed a technique to force a variety of enzymes to self-assemble layer-by-layer on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with the help of noodle-like polymer molecules. In 'A biosensor layered like lasagna,' the researchers say that this technique can be applied to a wide range of applications. In particular, it will be possible to build other biosensors "that react specifically with other biological chemicals, environmental agents or even microbes." Read more for additional details and the most spectacular scientific image of the month."

Re:Hammer, Feather, Freefall on the Moon: Revisite

But what about time for the hammer being slower relative to the feather?

I'm not a physicist, just a failed computer scientist who is now enjoying the relaxations of psychology.

Re:Hammer, Feather, Freefall on the Moon: Revisite

That's the subjective time for the hammer, silly. In the absolute, objective frame of reference--mine--time progresses at the same rate for both the hammer and the feather.

Don't you remember anything from your college physics class? Sheesh! Kids these

MOD PARENT UP

tsia

Still very theoretical.

Simply put, this MIGHT be big news. Theoretically you could join two carbon nanotubes with different electrical properties to form a diode. This might help Moores law http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moores_law [wikipedia.org] for computers keep on track. From the wikipedia link

Companies are working on using nanotechnology to solve the complex engineering problems involved in producing chips at the 45 nm, 30 nm, and even smaller levels a process that will postpone the industry meeting the limits of Moore's Law.

Being able to produce Nanotubes in bulk as the article suggests could ultimately let scientists build processors dozens (if not hundreds) of times faster than what we have today.

Perhaps Not for Electronics

This particular method has more to do with processing bulk quantities of nanotubes, rather than producing them. The closest connection to advanced electronics applications of NTs, is that selectively coating NTs with polymers and/or biomolecules is conside

Re:Still very theoretical.

The article does not suggest that they are building carbon nanotubes in bulk.

Rather it mentions that this specific team of PNNL scientists are utlizing electrostatic attraction and completely manufactured carbon nanotubes to rapidly construct extremely small, very precise sensors.

The technique, described in the April Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, enables enzymes, with the help of a long, noodle-like polymer molecule, to self-assemble layer-by-layer on a single carbon nanotube.

Disease

The important thing might be its ability to detect biological weapons and wild airbourne diseases.

As our ability to create deadly diseases increases, it is vitally important that our defenses against them increase also.

Re:Disease

I Meant mod down my post, but I didn't write that clearly. Have a good evening.

Re:Disease

As our ability to create deadly diseases increases
Funny, a "spray" of carbon nanotubes into the air (nanotube bomb?) would make for a pretty good weapon. Printer toner and asbestos combined in one convenient package.

Re:Disease

You mean, it would allow for fire-safe printouts? :-)

This kind of reminds me...

of a lint collector. It seems like we're always hearing about technologies that will make better biological sensors. You'd think by now we could pee in a cup to know if we had trace amounts of cancer already. I'm hoping and praying that the next article I read like this says "Nanotube Cancer Bio-sensor Debuts on Amazon" but I'm not holding my breath.

Re:This kind of reminds me...

That non-invasive cancer detector exists now. It's a highly sensitive chemosensor optimized for organic molecules. Successful clinical trials have been happening in the last few years.

The sensors are commonly called "dogs".

Matching the sensitivity of a dog

Call me when...

...they have a technique to make a single walled carbon nanotube of arbitrary length. I mean, I'm sure this is important, but I just want to hear that headline!

Re:Call me when...

You'll know it's ready when they throw the single walled carbon nanotube of arbitrary length at the ceiling, and it sticks.

Re:Call me when...

LOL. I'm not sure it was intentional, but we wait exactly for that. It would make a good Space Elevator :)

Re:Call me when...

Heh heh, completely unintentional. =)

His Noodly Appendages

It's like a testament to FSMism. These scientists are probably true believers.

Re:His Noodly Appendages

Dammit! I thought for sure I'd be able to be the first Pastafarian to comment on this story! Yet more evidence of the benevolence of his Noodly Appendage.

Pasta Metaphors...

How many can you fettuccine into a slashdot post?

Hungry?

Why all the references to food? 'Cooking' Carbon Nanotubes Like Spaghetti. ...with the help of noodle-like polymer molecules. A biosensor layered like lasagna... I am hungry now.

Re:Hungry?

Not to mention meat buckyballs [wikipedia.org]... and carbonara sauce *drool*

that's-a-spicey meat-a-ball

...and the stage is set for the mafia nerds to make a comeback.

I noticed that too

While its been traditional to charge for papers, 100 bucks for an *abstract* of a theory? Geeh im in the wrong business.

Another money-making scheme

Is there anything that can be done to divest ourselves of these parasites? This "blog" is simply extracts of text taken from other places, images taken from other places, a referral link charging $110 ! dollars for the abstract of the paper, and then advertisements at the bottom of the blog telling you "how to make money with a blog"!

Are we really, as a community, this simple-minded to be taken in by pyramid schemes like this?(pyramid in that; look, I am making money with a blog, give me money to tell you how to make money with a blog)

Please, please, please, pay attention people. We have to be vigilant and not give these scammers even more views/clicks/dollars.

And isn't this Roland guy the same one that has blatantly defrauded us in the past with similar linkfarm/scam advertisement stories? What is going on here? We need to stand up and take notice of the leeches on our backs and make use of the salt!

Re:Another money-making scheme

Are we really, as a community, this simple-minded to be taken in by pyramid schemes like this?

It's not the "community" that selects the stories. It's the editorial staff. They don't care that Roland is a parasite. When they deign to notice comments like

Re:Another money-making scheme

I was more referring to the open source community than the /. community. I have noticed more and more scams like this in various places, such as phony HOWTOs in the linux documentation project, the "explorer destroyer" project a few articles back promotin

Re:Another money-making scheme

I thought this is what most bloggers do: provide links, some copy-pastes.

As for $110 per article - this is common practice of publishers of scientific journals (I have never seen the prices THAT high though, probably depends on the distribution - the wider

Re:Another money-making scheme

I thought this is what most bloggers do: provide links, some copy-pastes.

So why bother with a blog that is just a rehash of an original article when you can link to the original article? Slashdot submitters and editors already supposedly make extracts an

Action plan!

Well, making comments like the above doesn't seem to get through to the editors. But we might make a small impact via the tag feature. Quite a lot of Roland's stories are already tagged "Piquepaille" &/or "Roland". I propose something a little more jud

Re:Another money-making scheme

I have not been a regular Slashdot reader for very long, but I already have heard about this guy, so I am not going to defend his specific marketing practices. It also seems that the bad publicity his previous posts have generated is taking a toll in a ver

"most spectacular scientific image of the month"?

Sorry, but linking a blog with a label like "most spectacular image of the month" actually had me get my hopes up for a moment. Two notes about this image:

a.) The 'image' is actually a blog. And not just any blog... we've heard from this guy before, but we

Science makes me hungry

All of a sudden I feel like ordering Italian, not sure why.

Re:Science makes me hungry

You drank to much coffee before you read this story.

Oh great...

Now I'm hungry...

Still only "nano"-tubes...

*sigh*

I had hope for a short time that they managed to produce nanotubes out of polymer via enzymes. This would have been a significant step towards...

*tadah*

TERATUBES!!

Imagine you could spin nanotubes that are thousands of kilometers long...
Imagine weavin