Nanorians
The following text describes my research in a non-scientific way. I wrote it for a Public Writing Contest in 2008 of the European Nano2Life Network of Excellence and it won the first prize. It is a two page text. So more than I use to write. The comic was drawn by my former colleague Andy Scheffer.
Nanorians explain the potentials and applications of nanoparticles
Nanorians? You haven’t heard of them yet? That is not astonishing as these guys only can be imagined. They live in the nanoworld Nanoria and there they basically act like you and I do in our world. Before you get to know who the Nanorians are, “nano” has to be clarified. What does it mean?
One nanometer (abbreviated: nm) is a billionth of a meter or, seen from the other side, 5 atoms in a row. So, it is very small. Imagine: If the planet earth was an apple, an apple would have the size of a single atom. Around 3,500 of these apples in a cube of 1 m3 would have the size of a 5 nm nanoparticle compared to the apple-planet. 12,000 of these cubes in a row make a line of 12 km or, in the nanoworld, the width of a hair, which is about 60,000 nm. Have a look at a hair on your arm! It’s thin, isn’t it? Simplified: “nano” is very small.
Nanoparticles, the basic module these mysterious Nanorians are made of, are based on materials we use every day: gold, silver, glass, phosphors or even rust or styrofoam. In the nanoworld, the materials often have the same characteristics as in our world. They emit light, are magnetic or lightweight with lots of pores, such as styrofoam. Imagine now, you cut a piece of silver in half. If you repeat this process again and again you will end up with nanoparticles. Beside this cutting method from large to nano (top-down approach), we can also go from atoms to nanoparticles by synthesis (bottom-up approach). In some cases, the small size of nanoparticles (in the range of 2 to 200 nm) can change the properties of rather common materials. For example: nano-sized silver becomes toxic whereas a silver ring is far from being toxic for humans.
But still these nanoparticles are not Nanorians. Why? Because we have to revive them first. Some need to swim in water or blood, and therefore they need arms, legs and eyes. Rarely, the synthesis automatically adds these body parts to the nanoparticle body. Therefore, researchers equip the nanoparticles with the missing features. As soon as the Nanorians were brought to life they are able to become doctors, cleaners, lighthouse keepers or postmen in their nanoworld.
To start with, the Nanorians need legs to go to work. Depending on the nature of these legs some Nanorians can easily enter cells, others are better in swimming with the blood system. Then, they need eyes to see where they are supposed to go. For this purpose, the Nanorians are equipped with highly specific eyes which can be made from biomolecules such as genes or antibodies. The counterparts of these biomolecules are located at the working places of the Nanorians. The so-called lock-and-key principle of these antagonists ensures that the Nanorians go ideally only to their working place and not beyond. Once they have found their working place they can grip it with their arms and finally start the work. How does that look like?
For example, the job of a lighthouse keeper is to emit light. He uses his nano-sized body like a flashlight. Researchers are now able to track him in a human body by following the light. If his eyes are trained to find diseased cells we can now visualize these cells and doctors are supported in their diagnose. Another Nanorian, who works as postman, is able to deliver mail to certain cells. Now, he needs the same eyes as the lighthouse keeper, who recognized the diseased cells, to deliver medicine to these cells. By doing his job the postman helps the scientists to cure the cells by initiating a therapy.
Besides these two Nanorian workers there are - depending on the modification of legs, arms and eyes - many others as mentioned above: Some help to keep surfaces clean or dry, some collect waste and others are able to slay tumor cells by burning them to death.
However, as always there is a BUT. Some Nanorians might change their behavior and turn violent. They can become demonstrators, thieves or, even worse, killers. And that is an undisputed risk. An example: If demonstrators hold each others hands, they might cause an occlusion of vessels. Now, it is the task of researchers to take care of the Nanorians and hinder them from becoming criminal and to keep them under arrest if neccessary. A main aim from the ethic discussion is the prevention of people and environment – at any time and at all costs. However, the reason to invest and to do research in nanotechnology, the science around “nano”, is obvious. Scientists are strongly interested in the advantages and the help of the Nanorians, which can easily overcome limitations of currently used methods in clinical routine diagnosis, medical research or technical applications. Nanotechnology can improve the sensitivity, the speed and the functionality of common assays. In special, Nanorians could detect diseases earlier, lower medicine doses and hence side effects.
Besides applications in the human body, so far inconceivable improvements in technical applications get conceivable today. Thus, a carwash might be needless in the future or engines last longer. Probably, there will never be a nano-sized submarine, robot or machine, as we know them from our world. Anyway, the Nanorians can reach all their destinations on foot. Even if they only live in our imagination, functionalized nanoparticles behave similar as we do in our macroscopic world. But it is on us to tell them what their jobs are.
Torsten Vielhaber
University of Münster, Germany
R. P. Bagwe, Journal of Dispersion Science and Technology, 24(3), 2003, 453.
S. Snatra, Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, 4, 2004, 590.
G. Li, Fangshe Mianyixue Zazhi, 18(5), 2005, 380.
A. Ito, Cancer Immunology Immunotherapy, 55(3), 2005, 320.
K. Ramaratnan, AATTCC Review, 8(1), 2008, 42.
M. E. Napier, Polymer Reviews, 47(3), 2007, 321.
Fritz Allhof, Nanoethics: The Ethical and Social Implications of Nanotechnology, Wiley-Interscience, 2007.
Nanorians explain the potentials and applications of nanoparticles
Nanorians? You haven’t heard of them yet? That is not astonishing as these guys only can be imagined. They live in the nanoworld Nanoria and there they basically act like you and I do in our world. Before you get to know who the Nanorians are, “nano” has to be clarified. What does it mean?
One nanometer (abbreviated: nm) is a billionth of a meter or, seen from the other side, 5 atoms in a row. So, it is very small. Imagine: If the planet earth was an apple, an apple would have the size of a single atom. Around 3,500 of these apples in a cube of 1 m3 would have the size of a 5 nm nanoparticle compared to the apple-planet. 12,000 of these cubes in a row make a line of 12 km or, in the nanoworld, the width of a hair, which is about 60,000 nm. Have a look at a hair on your arm! It’s thin, isn’t it? Simplified: “nano” is very small.
Nanoparticles, the basic module these mysterious Nanorians are made of, are based on materials we use every day: gold, silver, glass, phosphors or even rust or styrofoam. In the nanoworld, the materials often have the same characteristics as in our world. They emit light, are magnetic or lightweight with lots of pores, such as styrofoam. Imagine now, you cut a piece of silver in half. If you repeat this process again and again you will end up with nanoparticles. Beside this cutting method from large to nano (top-down approach), we can also go from atoms to nanoparticles by synthesis (bottom-up approach). In some cases, the small size of nanoparticles (in the range of 2 to 200 nm) can change the properties of rather common materials. For example: nano-sized silver becomes toxic whereas a silver ring is far from being toxic for humans.
But still these nanoparticles are not Nanorians. Why? Because we have to revive them first. Some need to swim in water or blood, and therefore they need arms, legs and eyes. Rarely, the synthesis automatically adds these body parts to the nanoparticle body. Therefore, researchers equip the nanoparticles with the missing features. As soon as the Nanorians were brought to life they are able to become doctors, cleaners, lighthouse keepers or postmen in their nanoworld.
To start with, the Nanorians need legs to go to work. Depending on the nature of these legs some Nanorians can easily enter cells, others are better in swimming with the blood system. Then, they need eyes to see where they are supposed to go. For this purpose, the Nanorians are equipped with highly specific eyes which can be made from biomolecules such as genes or antibodies. The counterparts of these biomolecules are located at the working places of the Nanorians. The so-called lock-and-key principle of these antagonists ensures that the Nanorians go ideally only to their working place and not beyond. Once they have found their working place they can grip it with their arms and finally start the work. How does that look like?
For example, the job of a lighthouse keeper is to emit light. He uses his nano-sized body like a flashlight. Researchers are now able to track him in a human body by following the light. If his eyes are trained to find diseased cells we can now visualize these cells and doctors are supported in their diagnose. Another Nanorian, who works as postman, is able to deliver mail to certain cells. Now, he needs the same eyes as the lighthouse keeper, who recognized the diseased cells, to deliver medicine to these cells. By doing his job the postman helps the scientists to cure the cells by initiating a therapy.
Besides these two Nanorian workers there are - depending on the modification of legs, arms and eyes - many others as mentioned above: Some help to keep surfaces clean or dry, some collect waste and others are able to slay tumor cells by burning them to death.
However, as always there is a BUT. Some Nanorians might change their behavior and turn violent. They can become demonstrators, thieves or, even worse, killers. And that is an undisputed risk. An example: If demonstrators hold each others hands, they might cause an occlusion of vessels. Now, it is the task of researchers to take care of the Nanorians and hinder them from becoming criminal and to keep them under arrest if neccessary. A main aim from the ethic discussion is the prevention of people and environment – at any time and at all costs. However, the reason to invest and to do research in nanotechnology, the science around “nano”, is obvious. Scientists are strongly interested in the advantages and the help of the Nanorians, which can easily overcome limitations of currently used methods in clinical routine diagnosis, medical research or technical applications. Nanotechnology can improve the sensitivity, the speed and the functionality of common assays. In special, Nanorians could detect diseases earlier, lower medicine doses and hence side effects.
Besides applications in the human body, so far inconceivable improvements in technical applications get conceivable today. Thus, a carwash might be needless in the future or engines last longer. Probably, there will never be a nano-sized submarine, robot or machine, as we know them from our world. Anyway, the Nanorians can reach all their destinations on foot. Even if they only live in our imagination, functionalized nanoparticles behave similar as we do in our macroscopic world. But it is on us to tell them what their jobs are.
Torsten Vielhaber
University of Münster, Germany
R. P. Bagwe, Journal of Dispersion Science and Technology, 24(3), 2003, 453.
S. Snatra, Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, 4, 2004, 590.
G. Li, Fangshe Mianyixue Zazhi, 18(5), 2005, 380.
A. Ito, Cancer Immunology Immunotherapy, 55(3), 2005, 320.
K. Ramaratnan, AATTCC Review, 8(1), 2008, 42.
M. E. Napier, Polymer Reviews, 47(3), 2007, 321.
Fritz Allhof, Nanoethics: The Ethical and Social Implications of Nanotechnology, Wiley-Interscience, 2007.
posted by Torsten at 4:08 PM
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