News & Comment

Museums have become an important venue for scientists and the public to have conversations about nanotechnology, reports Ai Lin Chun.

Nanostructured materials are used in the development of a new generation of efficient solar cells, but challenges in the characterization and fabrication of these cells delay commercial adoption.

Fumed silica has been used as an anti-caking agent in foods for several decades. Does new research suggest that the use of this engineered nanomaterial needs to be re-examined, asks Andrew D. Maynard.

Willingness to ask questions and having frank conversations with your collaborators can lead to many opportunities in translational research, reflects James E. Dahlman.

This is the International Year of Crystallography and is a time to reflect on the success of the discipline. Looking ahead the field is well placed to produce further exciting contributions to science.

DNA nanotechnology has proven to be a powerful approach for fabricating active nanostructures with biological functionality. Now, it is time to investigate more solutions from biology to downscale robotics, says Christian Martin.

Substantial reform of science administration in India is needed for the country to increase its global scientific impact.

Although numerous statements on ethics in nanotechnology have been published, they exist as seemingly disparate, stand-alone works. Inspired by a process that the field of genetic engineering went through in the 1970s, Chris Toumey suggests one way in which some clarity could be brought to the topic.

C. N. R. Rao describes the difficult situation that Indian education is facing and provides some suggestions on how things can get better.