News & Comment

Nanobiotechnology is in good health and making rapid progress in research laboratories across the world, no matter how you define it.

Analysis of scientific papers, patent applications and funding, by geography and area of nanotechnology, reveals the different strengths and weaknesses of Europe with respect to the US, Japan and the rest of the world.

Is it possible to use modern science and engineering techniques to improve on nature, or has evolution already found the best solutions? Richard Jones explores both sides of the argument and the lessons that might be learnt.

Replacing the tunnel barrier in a flash memory device with a series of quantum dots can increase the write speed a thousand-fold

Porous cobalt oxide nanowires can be grown on a range of conducting substrates

Gold surfaces are natural templates for preparing well-ordered C₆₀ nanostructures

The size of molecular wheels made from gallium ions can be controlled by changing the organic linker molecules

A large array of densely packed silicon nanowires can be used as a chemical sensor

Ultra-sensitive optical sensors for toxic trace metals can be made from nanostructured materials

Sperm cells containing magnetic nanoparticles can still fertilize eggs

Probing the mechanical response of bone on sub-10-nm length scales shows that minerals are essential for resisting fracture

Simulations explain why nanocapacitors do not work as well as expected

The controlled growth of magnetic thin films on gallium nitride substrates may lead to multifunctional spintronic devices

Mass spectrometry can be used to image a lipid membrane with 100 nm resolution based on its chemical composition

A single compound can be the source of carbon atoms and an iron catalyst needed to make carbon nanotubes

The electrospinning technique commonly used to produce fibrous materials has now been applied to stretch DNA molecules

A combination of lithography and electrochemistry can be used to pattern arrays of free-standing metallic nanowires