GreenWatch

B. McPherson Are you ingesting nanoparticles with your tasty lunch? What the heck is a nanoparticle? It’s something that is definitely smaller than a bread box. What the heck is a bread box? Never mind, it was in use when food was food. Back to the subject – a nanoparticle is a piece of matter that is smaller than one billionth of a metre(about 39 inches) across. Nanoparticles occur naturally. They are present in wood smoke and industrial by-products. Now clever researchers have found ways to produce nanoparticles tailored to do specific jobs. Some of the jobs these tiny bits of matter do involve the cosmetic and food industries. This is a new and exciting branch of science. When substances are reduced to a few molecules, they behave differently that when they are a more substantial size. Uses for this new area are being found almost daily. One of the areas with much potential is the food industry. The American Food and Drug Agency(FDA) is aware of the possible rami...

B. McPherson                 This film shows an earlier version of water repelling glass. Researchers working with nanotechnology at MIT have invented a new kind of glass. The possibilities for the new glass seem endless. Because of the special non-glare, self-cleaning surface engineered by the scientists, always clean car headlamps, more efficient solar panels, an end to window washing all seem possible. Of course, like many new inventions, this nano-glass will likely take some years to filter down to every day use. The description of the work is found in   MIT NEWS . In a nod to Mother Nature, the scientists gave credit for their inspiration to Nature’s structures such as lotus leaves and insect eyeballs.