In case you missed it (ICYMI), here are some of the stories that made headlines in the world of cleanrooms and nanotechnology in the past week.
Pope Francis addresses members of the National Committee for Biosafety, Biotechnologies and Life Sciences.
Pope Francis, in an address to members of the National Committee for Biosafety, Biotechnology and Life Sciences in audience at the Vatican, is encouraging scientists and biotechnology experts to be mindful of the effects their choices may have on human life and on creation. The Committee’s various working groups have addressed issues including genetic testing, gene therapy, tissue engineering, and bio nanotechnology. The Pope, a former scientist himself, finished his speech by urging those in attendance to initiate and sustain processes of consensus amongst scientists, technology experts, businessmen, and representatives of the institutions, and to identify strategies to enhance public awareness on the issues raised by developments in Life Sciences and biotechnology.
Read more: Pope Francis Makes Historic Address to Congress
What looks like a pretty unremarkable piece of burnt paper is in fact an ultrathin superconductor that has been developed by the team lead by Uwe Hartmann (r.) shown here with doctoral student XianLin Zeng. Image: Oliver Dietze
Experimental physicists at Saarland University have developed a thin nanomaterial that possesses superconducting properties. These materials conduct electricity without loss, levitate magnets, and can screen magnetic fields below about -200 C. Superconducting nanowires are able to be woven into an ultra-thin film that becomes just as flexible as cling film. The coatings could be used for applications in fields such as aerospace and medical technology.
Finally, researchers at IFW Dresden and Chemnitz University of Technology have 3D-printed a microtube that could be used to guide sperm that will treat gynecologic cancers. Sperm cells are naturally adapted for survival in the female reproductive system, and they are able to self-propel themselves and pierce a cell membrane — therefore they could be utilized to deliver drugs to the center of cancer cell and deliver effective treatment. Sperm’s “paddle-like” shape also gives the cells a high drug loading capacity.
