by Joel Pederson As a child, I spent many summer days at the beach in southern California. I remember playing in the surf, collecting shells, watching sea lions, and seeing the white noses of the …
explainer
How I Study Nanoparticles’ Interactions with Biological Soup
by Lisa Jacob Designing non-toxic nanomaterials requires that we understand how those nanomaterials interact with biological systems. Systems such as you me, and all other organisms, contain a “biological soup” of chemical compounds, known as …
Two Ways to Make Nanoparticles
by Cathy Murphy In Marco’s previous post, you can read how making nanoparticles is like baking – different proportions of ingredients and different processing conditions (time and temperature) can turn your batter into a pancake, …
Nano Contaminants: How Nanoparticles Get Into the Environment
by Sam Lohse Nanoparticles and the Environment Series, Part I (click here for part II) More than a year ago on this site, I talked to you about how nanoparticles were already all around us, …
What is Color and How Can It Help Kill Cancer Cells?
by Mimi Hang Spring is officially here and I don’t know about you, but I’m excited to welcome back COLOR: the bright rays of sunshine, the baby blue sky, the lively green grass, and of …
What’s the Difference between Magnification and Resolution? Dog of Science Demonstrates.
by Tom Kuech Seeing small objects is no simple task, but it is an essential one for scientists from fields as diverse as astronomy and nanotechnology. In order to see tiny things, we need to …
Explainer: How does an LED work?
by Kurt Jacobson An acronym you have probably seen a whole lot of in recent years is LED, or Light Emitting Diode. Long used only for low-intensity illumination (think of the blinking lights on the …
How do Lithium Ion Batteries Work? A Nanotechnology Explainer.
by Julianne Troiano During a recent visit to Home Depot I came face to face with a lithium-ion battery, nanotechnology, and my interest in making a wooden-framed mirror. I had my eyes on some shiny, …
Nanomedicine Explainer – My Cat is in a Clinical Trial
by Ben Meyer I present to you my cat, Graboid. She has nanoparticles coursing through her veins, and those nanoparticles may save her life. Grabby is 14 years old. She was not featured at the …
Liquor Aging, Tiny Barrels, and Next Generation Solar Cells
by Lee Bishop “You’ve gotta give it a taste to know!” answered the long-haired, cowboy shirt-wearing distiller dude at Madison, Wisconsin’s Old Sugar Distillery. He was responding to my incessant questions about how long their liquors …