Tuesday, April 15, 2003

Happy Leonardo Day! Leonardo da Vinci was born on 15, April 1452 in the period of the renaissance. I have long felt it was proper to designate this day in honor of his life and Genius. As a tribute to Leonardo, I published volume one of UnCommon Sense—We Can All Win! on this day four years ago. That first volume provides the basic principles of synergic science as applied to human relationships. It discloses the scientific proof that it is possible for humanity to live together without war or conflict. (04/15/03) The Societal Implications of Nanotechnology Raymond Kurzweil writes: The size of technology is itself inexorably shrinking.  According to my models, both electronic and mechanical technologies are shrinking at a rate of 5.6 per linear dimension per decade.  At this rate, most of technology will be "nanotechnology" by the 2020s. We are immeasurably better off as a result of technology, but there is still a lot of suffering in the world to overcome.  We have a moral imperative, therefore, to continue the pursuit of knowledge and advanced technologies, such as nanotechnology, that can continue to overcome human affliction.  There is also an economic imperative to continue due to the pervasive acceleration of technology, including miniaturization, in the competitive economy. Nanotechnology is not a separate field of study that we can simply relinquish.  We will have no choice but to confront the challenge of guiding nanotechnology in a constructive direction.  There are strategies we can deploy, but there will need to be continual development of defensive strategies. We can take some level of comfort from our relative success in dealing with one new form of fully non-biological, self-replicating pathogen: the software virus. The most immediate danger is not self-replicating nanotechnology, but rather self-replicating biotechnology.  We need to place a much higher priority on developing vitally needed defensive technologies such as antiviral medications.  Keep in mind that a bioterrorist does not need to put his "innovations" through the FDA. Any broad attempt to relinquish nanotechnology will only push it underground, which would interfere with the benefits while actually making the dangers worse. Existing regulations on the safety of foods, drugs, and other materials in the environment are sufficient to deal with the near-term applications of nanotechnology, such as nanoparticles. (04/15/03) Scientists Sequence SARS New York Times: Science -- Scientists in Canada announced over the weekend that they had broken the genetic code of the virus suspected of causing severe acute respiratory syndrome. Sequencing the genome — which computers at the British Columbia Cancer Agency in Vancouver completed at 4 a.m. Saturday after a team slaved over the problem 24 hours a day for a mere six days — is the first step toward developing a diagnostic test for the virus and possibly a vaccine. The genome appears to be that of a "completely new" coronavirus unrelated to any known human or animal viruses, a scientist at the Canadian agency said. A competing United States team at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta is reaching the same conclusion, and scientists from both teams said the virus's startling novelty could make it harder to trace what animal or bird it came from, if it did jump from another species. A spokesman for the World Health Organization called the speed at which the gene was sequenced "stunning." (04/15/03) Being aware of DVT could save your life! World Scientist -- If you're lying in a hospital bed, chances are doctors didn't check you for a silent killer — one that causes some 60,000 potentially preventable deaths a year. It's called ``deep vein thrombosis,'' when a dangerous blood clot forms deep in the leg muscles. The clot sometimes floats into the lungs, causing sudden death. Such clots made headlines a few years ago when seemingly healthy people collapsed after long airplane flights. Take an overseas flight today and you'll probably see a video advising walking around or at least wiggling your legs frequently to keep clots at bay. While that's good advice, it provides a skewed vision of the clots: Most actually occur when people are hospitalized for surgery, trauma or some other reason. (04/15/03) Looking for Work CNN Economy -- The U.S. unemployment rate was steady in March, but employers cut 108,000 jobs from their payrolls, the government said Friday, reflecting continuing weakness in the world's biggest economy in the first days of war with Iraq. ... Unemployment held at February's 5.8 percent rate, the Labor Department reported, but non-farm payrolls shrank again after losing a revised 357,000 jobs in February. February's job loss, revised upward from an initial report of 308,000, was the biggest one-month loss since October 2001, when employers slashed 405,000 jobs in response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. (04/15/03) Nanoparticles! Are they dangerous? ETC Group -- A report titled "No Small Matter II: The Case for a Global Moratorium - Size Matters!" calls on governments to adopt a moratorium on synthetic nanomaterials that are being manufactured in the laboratory and in some cases commercialized, in the absence of testing for health, safety and environmental impacts. ... The ETC Group's new report on nanosafety includes a 6-page paper entitled "Nano-particles and Toxicity," authored by Dr. Vyvyan Howard of the Developmental Toxico-Pathology unit of the University of Liverpool (UK). Among Dr. Howard's findings: "Research is now showing that when normally harmless bulk materials are made into ultrafine particles [nanoparticles] they tend to become toxic. Generally, the smaller the particles, the more reactive and toxic their effect. This should come as no surprise, because that is exactly the way in which catalysts are made, to enhance industrial chemical reactions. By making particles of just a few hundred atoms you create an enormous amount of surface, which tends to become electrically charged, and thus chemically reactive." Dr. Howard concludes: "There is considerable evidence that UFPs [ultrafine nanoparticles] are toxic and therefore potentially hazardous. The basis of this toxicity is not fully established but a prime candidate for consideration is the increased reactivity associated with very small size. The toxicity of UFPs does not appear to be very closely related to the type of material from which the particles are made, although there is still much research to be done before this question is fully answered." (04/15/03) Vaccine may help Asthma Ananova -- Millions of asthma sufferers could have their lives transformed by a new vaccine. Research on a vaccine tested on asthma brought on by cat allergies showed a 50% reduction in reactions, with some sufferers left with only minor symptoms. Work is now under way to make the vaccine effective for people whose asthma is caused by allergies to dust mites and pollen. It's hoped the vaccine will be available within five years, and benefit up to three million people. Dr Douglas Robinson, of Imperial College, London, told The Daily Mail: "In terms of controlling symptoms and preventing extreme allergic reactions it seems to be extremely effective. It may well be useful for a substantial number of allergic asthmatics." (04/15/03) SARS targeting the Healthy CNN Health -- HONG KONG, China -- Health officials in Hong Kong battling the deadly SARS virus say they are increasingly concerned at the number of relatively young and apparently otherwise healthy people falling victim to the disease. The remarks came as Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said the SARS outbreak in China was "grave" -- a departure from assurances the illness was under control in the nation where it is suspected to have emerged. The global death toll from severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) has now topped 130, including four new fatalities in China announced Monday by the World Health Organization (WHO). (04/15/03) 5:49:47 AM

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