Nano times already?
Collected by Lily

"纳米"越来越多地走入我们的生活, 市场上的许多商品, 如化妆品、织物、涂料等, 都含有纳米材料, 不少厂家还以纳米作为招徕顾客的卖点. 但这些纳米材料制成的产品, 尤其是与人体直接接触或直接进入人体的人造纳米材料, 对人体健康是有益或者有害? 对生物体和环境是安全的吗?



While nanoaircon, nanorice and nanoclothes are still hot terms in business propaganda , some worries have already arisen: "Is nano material safe to our health? Are nanoparticles not harmful to our heart and lungs since they are almost invisible when we breathe?" What is nano and nanotechnology? Are we now living in a nano time?

From the Greek nanos - meaning "dwarf", nano (nanomet, nm) is used in the metric system to mean 10-9 or one billionth (1/1,000,000,000).

Nanotechonology is the application of nanoscience to control processes on the nanometer scale, i.e. between 0.1 nm and 100 nm.

Chemical and biological technologies have been somewhat haphazardly manufacturing and assembling atomically precise devices on the nanometer scale (e.g. materials & food) for millennia. The latest addition to the nanotechnology band wagon is physics and engineering. The precise mathematical nature of physics and engineering enables novel tools such as scanning probe microscopes and molecular engineering software. These tools are rapidly increasing our ability to organize atoms and molecules on a large enough scale to improve and develop molecular medicine & biotechnology; smaller, faster & cheaper electronic devices; advanced materials, precise standards, improved understanding of matter; indirect applications relating to the environment, energy, communications, travel, space exploration, etc.
According to a report from more than 30 European and American cities over the past 20 years, there is a close connection between the rate of deadly disease and the density and size of particles in the air. Also, the smaller the particles are, the bigger their peril might be. Nanoparticles are not the products of modern NT alone. Human beings have lived with nanoparticles for centuries. Pernicious gases from cars, as well as fossil fuels produce a great quantity of such particles. It is estimated that passengers on the street will take in around 100 million nanoparticles every hour when breathing. Because of many unresolved questions, experts say wide application of NT in our daily life still needs 20 years more to develop. The breakthroughs will most likely be made in nanoinformation and nanobiotechnology research. Right now, its social and economical benefits are unpredictable. Nanotech promises to reengineer the man-made world, molecule by molecule, sparking a wave of innovation in everything from machines to medicine.



Every year, hundreds of million dollars will be invested on nano R&D in the US, covering biological application and environmental safety protection.

China has cumulatively invested a total of 830 million yuan (about 100 million US dollars) into the development of its nanometer science and technology. To date, China has launched more than 100 projects on nanometer materials and micro electromechanical systems which will help lift its capabilities in producing nanometer materials used for information, medicine, environmental energy and other purposes.

As one of the first nations to carry out nanometer research, China currently has more than 3,000 researchers who are engaged in related programs and have had series of innovative achievements.

Nanotechnology was listed as one of the key components of China's technology development during its 10th five-year (2000-2005) plan, and the development of nanometer biological and medical technology, electronics, and components were rated as mid- to long-term goals.

As a popular saying goes, "All good fruits will turn bad". This statement is very true as it relates to how people misuse the good of many inventions such as nanotechnology.

Vocabulary
dragnet 搜索网
nanoparticle 纳米颗粒
haphazardly 偶然地
pernicious 有害的

Science & technology harbor

Hurricanes to intensify as the earth warms
全球变暖使飓风增强
According to US climate experts, people are heating up oceans and adding moisture to the atmosphere, causing current increases in hurricane frequently and hurricane paths to change course. Environmental changes caused by human beings are expected to affect hurricane intensity and precipitation, although the overall effect on numbers of hurricanes remains unclear.



Yahoo search launches fee-based content
雅虎提供收费浏览内容
Yahoo Inc. has begun testing a service that lets people search for information on sites in which they pay for access to the content. Yahoo's strategy aims to build customer's loyalty by letting people customize searches to meet their personal needs. The same strategy is also used by Yahoo's rivals-Google, Microsoft Corp.'s MSN and others. Subscription services that have signed up with Yahoo include Consumer Reports.org, the Wall Street Journal Online, The Street.com, and the New England Journal of Medicine.

World's smallest mobile broadband satellite terminal unveiled
世界最小宽带卫星终端问世
The world's smallest and lightest mobile broadband satellite terminal was launched in Singapore. Measuring 15 cm by 20 cm and weighing less than 1 kg, the Nera WorldPro 1000 is designed to provide users with both broadband capability and voice telecommunications. With the scheduled launch of Inmarsat BGAN service in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa in the fourth quarter of this year, the end user will have to pay 2,500 US dollars for the terminal.

Spacecraft carrying trash from space station falls into ocean
太空垃圾倒入大海
A Russian cargo spaceship carrying trash from the International Space Station (ISS) dropped into designated waters in the Pacific Ocean. The remnants sank in a preset area between New Zealand and South America in the Pacific Ocean. The disposal of the space garbage will not harm the earth's ecology as the bulk of the waste was burnt up together with the ship when it re-entered the atmosphere. Only a few fragments were dumped in the ocean.

New software to kill unknown viruses
不明计算机病毒有了新克星
China's largest security software vendor, the Beijing Jiangmin SciTech Co., announced that it has created China's first software that can kill unknown viruses. Not only can this software "filter" 98% of unknown viruses, it can also effectively prevent the 2% of viruses that slip through its dragnet to "hibernate and re-emerge." However, it still cannot completely replace the more traditional feature-code virus-killing technology. Both complement each other. Jiangmin SciTech will combine both techniques into one product.