Nanotechnology – has the UK dropped the nano-ball?

by Andrew Maynard | Jul 8, 2011 | Emerging Technology, Nanotechnology, Policy

I must confess to being rather saddened this morning to read Roger Highfield’s New Scientist blog on the state of nanotechnology in the UK.  Hot on the heels of reports that the company Nanoco is threatening to leave Britain for more fertile grounds, it left me...

Don’t define nanomaterials – new commentary in Nature and an early draft

by Andrew Maynard | Jul 6, 2011 | Emerging Technology, Nanotechnology, Oversight, Regulation

One of the problems with publishing in journals like Nature is that it can get a little pricey for people to read your work if they (or their organization) don’t subscribe.  For instance, if you want to read the commentary I’ve just had published on...

A nanotechnology regulation hat trick from the US federal government

by Andrew Maynard | Jun 10, 2011 | Emerging Technology, Nanotechnology, Oversight, Regulation, Technology Innovation

It must be Nanotechnology Regulation week in Washington DC.  Yesterday, two federal agencies and the White House released documents that grapple with the effective regulation of products that depend on engineered nanomaterials. In a joint memorandum, the Office of...

Responsible development of… Unobtanium?

by Andrew Maynard | Jun 4, 2011 | Communication, Emerging Technology, Nanotechnology

I thought I’d post this spoof presentation for the fun of it on the responsible development of “unobtainium”, which seems to have some remarkable similarities with some other emerging technologies: If you’re a little mystified, blame David...

International Standards Organization guidelines for evaluating nanomaterial risks – are they any good?

by Andrew Maynard | May 26, 2011 | Emerging Technology, Nanotechnology

In June 2005, the chairman and CEO of DuPont, together with the President of the Environmental Defense Fund, co-authored an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal titled “Let’s Get nanotech Right”.  The piece called for broad multi-stakeholder collaborations to help...

Australian Education Union advises against using nanoparticle-based sunscreens in schools

by Andrew Maynard | May 22, 2011 | Emerging Technology, Nanotechnology

Last week, the Victoria branch of the Australian Education Union (AEU) passed a resolution recommending that “workplaces use only nanoparticle-free sunscreen” and that sunscreens used by members on children are selected from those “highlighted in the...