by Autumn Qiu Ever since the first human being looked up to the starry night, the dream of chasing the stars and space has never stopped. A long way back, in ancient Northern European mythology, …
Sustainable Nano
The Mysterious Inspiration of Future Scientists
by Christy Haynes Anyone who has watched CSI, Bones, or Breaking Bad on television has had the opportunity to see how chemistry can be important in solving (or committing) a crime. The popularity of forensics …
Fungus Amongus – the Nanoparticle Producers
by Jared Bozich Recent discoveries continue to highlight the many uses of that wonderful kingdom of life, fungus. Penicillin, a group of antibiotics that changed medicine forever, is derived from the Penicillium fungi (taken from …
Turning Plastic Bags into Carbon Nanotubes
by Merve Dogangun I was surprised to learn recently that plastic bags can be turned into a new material called carbon nanotubes. Prior to this, all I had heard about plastic bags was about the …
Exhortations for Responsible Action*
by Bassam Z. Shakhashiri Professor of Chemistry The William T. Evjue Distinguished Chair for the Wisconsin Idea Director, Wisconsin Initiative for Science Literacy Department of Chemistry University of Wisconsin-Madison It was a privilege and a …
The Atomic Difference Between Diamonds and Graphite
by Cathy Murphy Everything is made of atoms. Usually these atoms are strongly connected to one another, in an amazing variety of configurations. But atoms are so tiny, how can we possibly understand the structure …
Nanotechnology in the Aquaculture Industry
by Gustavo Dominguez Picture yourself eating a juicy fish filet or a delicious shrimp cocktail. You might be surprised to discover the diverse array of technologies that are used to raise the fish or shrimp …
Spying on chameleon nanoparticles inside living cells
by Galya Orr If you are exposed to nanoparticles, you might think they would move around inside your body unchanged. However, it would be more accurate to think of them as tiny chameleons, constantly changing …
Cleaning without chemicals? Part I – The use and hazards of traditional cleaning chemicals
by Eric Melby This is part one of a two (maybe three…definitely four at the most) part series What motivated me to explore the chemical world of cleaning? Is it possible to have nice smelling …
Nuclear Proliferation & Sustainability: the History of Nanodiamonds
by Bob Hamers Half a century ago, a Soviet scientist was tucked away in a top-secret facility. The results of his experiments are critical to our work here the Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology. Find it …