Archive for the Nano NaNu Category

2 More Public Summits with BioEthics.gov

The Federal Policy Makers have 2 more public forums to be held later this summer/fall.
Future Meetings
September 13-14 in Philadelphia,Pa.

November 16-17 in Atlanta, Ga.

Read the Agenda, Check out the Synthetic Biology background paper and make your voice heard if so called.

http://www.bioethics.gov/

DIY - AFM plans

One of the folks at Hack:DC just posted a link to plans for a milled Atomic Force Microscope.

This is an extremely expensive piece of equipment that can give insight into a number of biological processes that go unseen from standard optical microscopes.

http://www.biophysik.physik.uni-muenchen.de/projects/plastic-afm

National Academies Keck Foundation Podcasts Highlight SynBio Conference

Here’s a series of pre-conference podcasts with a number of specialists in the field of synthetic biology.

Speakers include J. Craig Venter, Drew Endy, Jay Kiesling, Ron Weiss and more. Definitely worthwhile background discussions.

More ManMachine - BioElectronics

New BioFuel Cell Uses Glucose in the Body to Produce Electricity for Cyborgs

JHU-INBT release new NANOBIO magazine

So Mary Spiro over at the INBT has a new periodical which focuses on the academic pursuits in the field of NANO BIO Techologies.

It is available in pdf form.

Microbial Self-Assembly Text w. Info on Magnetotactic Bacteria

I was looking for some introductory information into the use of microbial self-assembly and found this reference text on google books. It would be great if one of the faculty/mentors could order one for review.
Microbial bionanotechnology: biological self-assembly systems and biopolymer …
By Bernd Rehm

Chapter 5 addresses the biomineralization of magnetite in Magnetosomes - the cell structure that grows these inorganic structures. It begins on page 107.

In it we find that Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense, is a preferred organism for cultivation. Here’s another pdf on magnetotactic bacterium.

More BioMachine Interfacing

Nanotube transistor will help us bond with machines

And then again there is always eBay

Checking out prices of DNA synthesizers on eBay… found one for $2400

http://cgi.ebay.com/AB-APPLIED-BIOSYSTEMS-392-DNA-RNA-SYNTHESIZER-W-EXTRAS_W0QQitemZ290374160316QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item439ba60fbc

Apparently the cleaning diagnostic doesn’t run, or they haven’t figured out how to clean the lines… Maybe this would be an easier project… just fixing a broken one. But you’d like to know it might work if you’re putting forth that kind of cash out of pocket

Brain-Machine Interfaces

Futures in Biotech 49: Dr. Justin Sanchez walks us through the technology of brain machine interfaces.

Focus In Biotech - LowPower BioElectronics Pt 1

Here’s another fantastic FIB program (<-at least it’s not posted on April 1st.. lol).

Speaking with : Rahul Sarpeshkar, Ph.D., associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and author of Ultra Low Power Bioelectronics: Fundamentals, Biomedical Applications, and Bio-inspired Systems

 http://www.cambridge.org/catalogue/catalogue.asp?isbn=9780521857277

I think I’ll have to pick that text up…

This is a two part-series (FIB 52 & FIB 55) you can link through and follow it if you’re interested.