X-Message-Number: 33018
Date: Mon, 01 Nov 2010 22:59:43 -0400
From: 
Subject: Nano-swimmers

   This posting is very out-of-character for me.
I rarely pay much attention to nanotechnology
and I try to avoid making postings that are
just links to news articles. But this is one
that I can't resist.

  There has been considerable question about
how nanomachines could be powered, especially
those operating at cryogenic temperatures.
Now it appears that there are "nano-swimmers"
-- nanowires powered by external magnetic
fields swimming like bacteria with flagella:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20879711

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ja1072349

http://www.nanowerk.com/spotlight/spotid=8420.php

Admittedly, these are operating in solution
rather than boring through solids, but at
least it shows the potential.

        -- Ben Best

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