(NHI Nanoblog) The British newspaper The Guardian has just published a big package on nanotechnology, its potential risks and benefits, and the debate overseas about both.
It’s chock full of user-friendly information, especially consumers, who are increasingly exposed to super-small materials in everyday products — often in ways we don’t think about.
Especially interesting is a large-scale graphic (check it out here) that lays out everything from what this burgeoning field is to how it’s currently being used, as well as peeks at the future. It dovetails nicely with the type of educational efforts that were done in the U.S. over the past couple of weeks, through a variety of NanoDays events.
Nanotechnology leverages the often-unique properties of super-small particles (a nanometer is a billionth of a meter) to create products with amazing qualities. These materials can make better batteries or lighter and stronger bike frames, as well as new medical instruments and medicines that can save lives. They’re increasingly common in consumer products, from “mineral-based” sunscreens to stain-repellent pants to boat paints that resist algae growth.
Nanomaterials are believed to hold great promise for a wide variety of applications. Their ultra-tiny size also gives them different properties; scientists are struggling to figure out whether that can make them dangerous in the process, and how and why it happens.
Share the Guardian’s work with the nano-neophytes on your email list.