Travels to the Nanoworld

by Gross, Michael

• ISBN13: 9780738204444
• ISBN10: 0738204447
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-02-08
• Publisher: Basic Books

Summary

The new science and technology of the incredibly small-and what it means for our future.

Author Biography

Dr. Michael Gross has studied various aspects of life under extreme conditions throughout his research career. He received his doctorate in physical biochemistry from the University of Regensburg, Germany. After seven years of research in protein biochemistry at the University of Oxford, he has recently switched to writing full time. He lives in Oxford, England, and is the author also of Travels to the Nanoworld.

Table of Contents

I. Introduction
Welcome to the Nanoworld	3	(22)
Molecules: The Building Blocks of Life	5	(4)
Interactions: The Weakest Are the Best	9	(2)
Self-Organization: Together We Will Make It	11	(3)
Catalysts: Making Chemical Reactions Fast and Accurate	14	(2)
Compartmentation: Keeping Your Cells Tidy	16	(2)
Evolution: Molecules to Organisms	18	(1)
Technology: Back to Molecules	19	(6)
II. The Role Model: The Living Cell as a Nanotechnological Factory
Proteins: The Cell's Nanomachines	25	(30)
Molecular Motors: Muscle Research Moves On	27	(4)
The Enzyme that Feeds the World	31	(1)
Ways & Means: Structure Determination by X-Ray Crystallography	32	(5)
Protein Movies: Snapshots of an Enzyme Reaction	37	(1)
Profile: Irving Geis---The Art of Protein Architecture	38	(5)
G Proteins: The Cell's Switchboard	43	(4)
Crystals Made to Measure: Proteins Directing Crystal Growth	47	(8)
From Genes to Proteins	55	(36)
Five Minutes for a Vital Mission: The Short Life of an Insulin Molecule	56	(4)
Profile: Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin	60	(2)
The Language of the Genes: Linguistic Methods Help to Make Sense of DNA	62	(2)
Ways & Means: DNA Sequencing and Genome Analysis	64	(6)
Death of a Dogma: The Genetic Code is Not Universal	70	(3)
Round and Round the Ribosome	73	(3)
Skiing the Energy Landscape: The New View of Protein Folding	76	(4)
Ways & Means: Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy	80	(2)
Safeguarding Adolescent Proteins: Molecular Chaperones Prevent Dangerous Liaisons	82	(4)
Recycling Scheme in the Cell: Understanding How the Proteasome Works	86	(5)
Amazing Cells	91	(22)
Three Kinds of Cells	92	(2)
A Different Kind of Bug: Methanococcus jannaschii	94	(2)
Knowing Where You're Going: Magnetotactic Bacteria Can Tell North from South	96	(2)
Cells with a Vision: The Rods and Cones of the Retina	98	(4)
Cell Wars (1): How Taxol Keeps Cancer Cells from Multiplying	102	(3)
Cell Wars (2): How Bacteria Get the Better of Antibiotics	105	(8)
III. Toward the Nanoworld: Biology, Chemistry, and Physics Pave the Way for Nanotechnology
From Molecules to Supramolecules	113	(32)
The Neglected Dimension: Macromolecular Chemistry	114	(2)
Profile: Hermann Staudinger	116	(1)
The World's Smallest Tree: Dendrimers Are Not Just Pretty Molecules	117	(5)
Writing the Amino Acid Code: The Surprising Success of Protein Design	122	(4)
A Tunnel through the Cell Membrane: Self-Assembling Nanotubes	126	(4)
Tying the Knot: Topological Chemistry	130	(3)
A Few Useful Things to Do with DNA	133	(4)
Be Fruitful and Multiply: Self-Replicating Peptides	137	(2)
Toward Artificial Enzymes: Synthetic Supramolecules Compete with Catalytic Antibodies	139	(6)
From Quantum Dots to Micromachines	145	(28)
Divide and Discolor: Q Particles Are Different	146	(3)
Gold Clusters Shine Brightly	149	(3)
Carbon Nanotubes as Electronic Devices	152	(2)
Ways & Means: How to Make Fullerenes and Nanotubes	154	(4)
Carbon Nanotubes as AFM Tips	158	(1)
Wafer-Thin Patchwork: The Rubber-Stamp Trick Combines Nanoand Biotechnology	158	(2)
Ways & Means: Scanning Probe Microscopies (STM and AFM)	160	(4)
``Organic Metals'' as Novel Protective Coatings	164	(3)
Small Wonders: The Era of the Micromachines Has Begun	167	(3)
Ways & Means: Photolithography	170	(3)
Biotechnology	173	(18)
How to Tell Right from Wrong in Genetic Engineering	175	(2)
The Quest for the Blue Rose: Trying to Make a Fashion of ``Blue Genes''	177	(1)
The Green Spark: A Fluorescent Protein Helps Tracing Gene Expression	178	(6)
Squeezed Eggs for Breakfast: Why Pressure Cooks Better Than Heat	184	(1)
Sleeping Beauty in the Glass State: How to Preserve Biochemicals	185	(6)
IV. A Big Future for Tiny Machines?
Which Ingredients Are Needed for a Technological Revolution?	191	(10)
How to Start a Technological Revolution	192	(2)
Materials	194	(2)
Production Methods	196	(1)
Miniaturization	197	(1)
A Definition of the Buzzword Nanotechnology	198	(3)
Visions of the Future	201	(18)
Profile: Richard P. Feynman	202	(1)
The Prophets of Nanotechnology	203	(1)
Profile: K. Eric Drexler	204	(3)
Drexler's Brave New World---A Guided Tour	207	(4)
Maxwell's Demon---A Predecessor of Nanotechnology?	211	(3)
The Future of Computation	214	(5)
Nanotechnology: Present versus Future	219	(10)
The ``Top-Down'' Approach: From Micro to Nano	221	(1)
The ``Bottom-Up'' Approach: Self-Organization Comes Together	222	(1)
From Old Materials to Advanced Materials	222	(2)
A Farewell to Factories?	224	(1)
Nanotechnology: The Next Industrial Revolution?	225	(4)
Glossary	229	(8)
Further Reading and Internet Links	237	(12)
Index	249