Advances in nanotechnology

For years now Glenn Reynolds has been highlighting advances in nanotechnology at his Instapundit blog. Today he linked to an article showing how nanoparticles are changing our lives.

Practically every week, scientists announce a new breakthrough in the ability of nanoparticles to deliver genes, drugs or chemical messengers inside cells. Nanoparticles of different shapes and chemical makeup can track down and target specific cells of a chemist's choosing, and perform a variety of tasks.

This image depicts DNA molecules (light green), packaged into nanoparticles by using a polymer with two different segments. One segment is positively charged, which binds the polymer to the DNA. This is shown in teal. The brown portion shows a protective coating on the nanoparticle's surface. By adjusting the solvent surrounding these molecules, researchers at Johns Hopkins and Northwestern universities were able to control the shape of the nanoparticles. The team’s animal tests showed that a nanoparticle’s shape can dramatically affect how well it delivers gene therapy.

Read about this and six other advances in nanotechnology here: http://www.popsci.com/science/gallery/2012-11/7-amazing-nanoparticles-changing-our-lives?image=0