Nano technology

 
Nanotechnology - bold science, big money, growing risks
Courtesy Benedicte Trouiller
PART ONE

Amid Nanotech’s Dazzling Promise, Risks Grow

A mounting body of research shows nanoparticles can cause disease and death. But regulators are doing little to respond.

About this Series

Nanotechnology has long been hyped for its potential to cure diseases, ease energy problems, supercharge our computers and more. But increasing evidence shows that the engineered particles could pose a giant risk to the environment and human life. Learn how AOL News correspondent Andrew Schneider got the story and see his most surprising findings.

Andrew Schneider
Senior Public
Health Correspondent
Andrew Schneider
 
PART TWO
Nanotechnology - bold science, big money, growing risks Getty Images

Nano-Foods Coming to a Store Near You

To the industry, they're the ultimate secret ingredient. And scientists say nanomaterials are already in the U.S. food supply.

PART THREE
Nanotechnology - bold science, big money, growing risks Courtesy Nanotechnology Project

Obsession with Nanotech Growth Stymies Regulators

No U.S. agency leads the charge on nanotech safety, and companies can stonewall reform efforts. Other countries do things differently.

How Nanotechnology Works

To understand the science, it helps to break down the word itself into its parts.

Timeline: Nanotech’s Evolution

The path from academic theories to consumer items to emerging controversy.

Gallery: Nano-Products Are Everywhere

They range from dietary supplements to socks to baby sunscreen -- and by one tally nearly 10,000 are now on the market.

Why Nanotech Hasn’t (Yet) Triggered ‘the Yuck Factor’

Nanomaterials haven't sparked the backlash genetically modified foods did, but polling shows that may change.

 

White House Advisers: Nanotech Safety Efforts 'Commendable'

A government report does little to address health concerns, while warning that U.S. may fall behind in efforts to commercialize nanotech.

Opinion: A Misleading Portrait of Nanotechnology

The director of theNational Nanotechnology Coordination Office responds to AOL News' findings.

Worries About Oil Remedy

An oil dispersant that a contains nanoparticles hasn't been tested enough to use for cleaning up the Gulf of Mexico, scientists say.

Bad News About Sunscreen

Nanoparticles used in sunscreens have the potential to seriously harm human health, a report says.

Nanosilver in Fabric?

A Swiss company may soon win U.S. approval to use nanosilver to make clothing stay cleaner. But some scientists worry about the health effects.

 

'Dirty Tricks' More Common This Election Season

12 hours 45 minutes ago |AOL News

Joshua Lott, The New York Times / Redux

WASHINGTON (Sept. 8) -- A GOP operative in Arizona enlisted three homeless people to run for state office on the Green Party ticket -- possibly in hopes of siphoning votes away from Democrats. In Mic ...

Detroit Mayor Calls Fires a 'Natural Disaster'

13 hours 17 minutes ago |AOL News

Marcin Szczepanski, Detroit Free Press / MCT

(Sept. 8) -- Detroit Mayor Dave Bing says that the fires that swept across the city and destroyed dozens of homes were a "natural disaster" and that there was no way Detroit could have prepared for s ...

LA Protests Are Latest in a History of Street Showdowns

9 hours 44 minutes ago |AOL News

AFP / Getty Images

LOS ANGELES (Sept. 8) -- Two nights of violent street demonstrations over the police shooting of a Guatemalan-born day laborer is the legacy of long-simmering distrust between residents in an immigra ...

Mexican Mayor Killed, Massacre Suspects Arrested

4 hours 54 minutes ago |AP

MEXICO CITY (Sept. 8) -- Hooded gunmen killed the mayor of a small town in the northern Mexico state of San Luis Potosi on Wednesday, and prosecutors announced the arrest of seven suspects in the mas ...

Colorado Wildfire Destroys More Than 130 Homes

14 hours 44 minutes ago |AP

John De Bord / AP

BOULDER, Colo. (Sept. 8) -- A wildfire burning in the canyons and steep mountainsides near Boulder became one of the most destructive blazes in Colorado history Wednesday as authorities determined it ...

Hermine Tornadoes Touch Down Near Dallas [VIDEOS]

6 hours 5 minutes ago |AOL News Surge Desk

(Sept. 8) -- Hermine hit hard after all! The remnants of the tropical storm with the funny name turned out to be even worse, weather-wise, than the actual formation itself. Just ask the residents of ...

Who Has What It Takes to Replace Rahm Emanuel?

10 hours 32 minutes ago |AOL News

Abaca Press / MCT

WASHINGTON (Sept. 8) -- Let the guessing game begin. The news that Chicago "Mayor for Life" Richard Daley would not run for a seventh term was a shocker. Instant speculation that White House Chief of ...

Obama: Slow Growth Beats 'Republican' Recession

8 hours 45 minutes ago |AOL News

Tim Sloan, AFP / Getty Images

(Sept. 8) -- President Barack Obama today pummeled Republicans as foes of the middle class and defenders of big business in remarks that were less about economic solutions and more an election-year w ...

Can the Quran Burning Be Stopped Before It Starts?

11 hours 15 minutes ago |AOL News

John Raoux, AP

(Sept. 8) -- Terry Jones has a constitutional right to burn the Quran, and there is very little the law can do to stop him. An uproar is growing as the Florida pastor moves forward with his plans to ...

iPhone-Controlled Drone Hits Market

7 hours 10 minutes ago |AOL News

Daniel Mihailescu, AFP / Getty Images

(Sept. 8) -- Want to own your own remote-controlled drone? Parrot, a technology firm, says its unmanned aircraft, which can be operated using an iPhone, is available for purchase starting today. The ...

Bloggers Mine Irony of Gore School's Contamination

12 hours 45 minutes ago |AOL News

Kevork Djansezian, Getty Images

(Sept. 8) -- Conservative bloggers are abuzz over what they see as a delicious irony: A Los Angeles school named for environmentalist Al Gore was apparently built on contaminated soil. The Carson-Go ...

Can Celebrity Sickness Boost Public Health?

11 hours 45 minutes ago |AOL News Surge Desk

John Paul Filo, CBS / AP

(Sept. 8) -- Celebrities: They're just like us. That's true of putting on pants (one leg at a time!), grocery store trips, drunken faux pas and also, more seriously, illness. Surprisingly, though, wh ...

 

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