A Swiss/Australian research team has utilized an interesting method for assessing whether or not sunscreens containing certain zinc oxide products could pose any potentially harmful health consequences to consumers.

Zinc Oxide nanomaterials are characterized by several unique optical properties which make them particularly well-suited for use in ultraviolet “optoelectronics” that can act as transducers to convert an optical signal to an electrical one (or vice-versa). These same optical properties, most notably a high level of optical UVA and UVB absorption, have led to the inclusion of these materials in a variety of sunscreen formulations in an attempt to minimize skin damage caused by sunlight. Additionally, these ZnO formulations tend to provide excellent transparency when applied topically, and from a cosmetic industry standpoint, any method of increasing this transparency should be highly advantageous.

The multi-component, bulky, and outdated device platforms used in clinical and research lab settings for monitoring human physiologic activity may soon be replaced with ultrathin electronic patches that adhere to skin and stretch like temporary tattoos. Headed by materials scientist John A. Rogers from the University of Illinois, a group of engineers developed the innovative skin-mounted electronic device and have demonstrated practical use in acquiring physiological information from the heart, brain, and skeletal muscles. The technology makes use of an array of electronic components including multifunctional sensors, LEDs, circuit elements (transistors, diodes, and capacitors), wireless power coils, and radio frequency elements for communication. The research is described in the August 12 issue of Science.

In the latest issue of the American Chemistry Society's journal Langmuir, Bar-Ilan University researcher, Aharon Gedanken and colleagues report successful lab tests of a material intended for use as a new food packaging material.

Researchers from Purdue University have developed a new type of sensor that allows rapid detection of chemical compounds in a person's respiration. The new approach is at least 100 times more accurate than current technologies - detecting biomarkers in the parts per billion to parts per million range - and may lead to wide-spread use of breathalyzers in detecting the possible presence of cancer and other diseases.

The technology works by detecting changes in electrical resistance or conductance as gases pass over sensors built on top of tiny heating devices on electronic chips, called "microphotplates".

Carlos Martinez, assistant professor of Materials Engineering, and key investigator of the new sensors commented; "We are talking about creating an inexpensive, rapid way of collecting diagnostic information about a patient. It might say, 'there is a certain percentage that you are metabolizing a specific compound indicative of this type of cancer,' and then additional, more complex tests could be conducted to confirm the diagnosis."

Europe's latest public opinion poll shows concern yet optimism toward emerging technologies and new fields within science. A clear optimistic trend appears in this latest report, "Europeans and biotechnology in 2010 Winds of change?". This is of course balanced with a public concern for safety and a need for further public awareness on some topics.

Last Thursday Dr. Donald Tomalia spoke in downtown Portland, Oregon at the Arlene Schnitzer hall. The lecture was ultimately about two topics; safe application of nano technology to society, and the need for a clear categorization method for nanotechnology that would serve as a foundation for moving nanotechnology to nanoscience. This idea is one that Dr. Tomalia discussed at length illustrating that the logic for needing this tool is the same logic that a chemist would site as to why we need a periodic table of elements. I am going to give a quick overview sharing some resources for learning about dendritic formations found in nature and how these formations are used to construct what are now calling Dendrimers.

Researchers have been able to see how heart failure affects the surface of an individual heart muscle cell in minute detail, using a new nanoscale scanning technique developed at Imperial College London.

Biomedical engineers from Boston University have developed a new sequencing technique that eliminates the time-consuming, and often error-prone step of DNA amplification - which will make future genome sequencing both faster and less expensive than any current technologies.

UC Berkely researchers have developed a "NanoPen" that they say overcomes one of the top challenges in nanotechnology manufacturing - producing nano-scale components quickly, cheaply and efficiently.

Researchers are using the popular children's LEGO pieces to re-create - on a much larger scale - the microscopic activity taking place inside microfluidic arrays, commonly called lab-on-a-chip devices. The observations could offer clues on how to improve the design and fabrication of lab-on-a-chip technology.