Nanotechnology may pose health risks

Darkfrog submitted, created time 3 weeks 6 days (www.nytimes.com)

When radium was first discovered, no one thought it was dangerous. People painted it onto the hands of clocks to make them glow in the dark. Shoe stores used to have X-ray machines that people could use to see the bones in their feet. Roofers used to install asbestos shingles. Now, nanotechnology are the next big thing, and new research from Scotland is suggesting that carbon nanotubes may be as dangerous as asbestos.

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Flexible polymers make stretchy conductors

Darkfrog submitted, created time 4 months 3 weeks (sciencenow.sciencemag.org)

Scientists have managed to combine polymers and nanotubules to create a condictive surface that can be stretched up to 38% without loss of function. Just the thing for flexible circuit boards!

Now my question is what are we going to use this stuff for first? Oh sure, we could invent a blood sugar monitoring system that could fit right into a diabetic's vein, vital sign monitors that could be worn like a sweater vest, but I think it's far more likely that we end up with MP3 players that can be molded straight to the user's auditory canal

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