Very interesting. I suppose that if these fibers will migrate to the mesothelium, then they are good candidates to cause mesothelioma. The mechanism for the initiation of meso is poorly understood - it seems strange that inert substances such as silica and carbon could induce cancerous mutations, but somehow that is exactly what happens. #nanotechnology
@Klebert L. Hall: But nanotech is made out of nanomaterials.
I've read of research into coating the nanotubes with other materials that neutralize the harmful effects though. Better to come up with good solutions before mass-production begins. #nanotechnology
I do have a question - Is that actually a photo of a nanotube? Correct me, but it appears to be a twisted bunch of fibers. Are the individual 'fibers' the tubes in question? Inquiring minds and all that... #nanotechnology
I remember my grandfather passing away from carbon nanotube lung. He'd go down all day into the carbon nanotube mines, chipping away with those tiny, tiny pickaxes, and then coming home to lay awake all night, coughing in a high-tech kinda way. #nanotechnology
Oh great. So what your telling me is I've got to expect some new annoying commercials extolling the dangers of carbon nanotubes and mesothelioma? That's fantastic. #nanotechnology
@johnconnorjudgementday: No worries! By then we will all be nanobot controlled zombies anyway. You think the H1N1 vaccine is for the flu? It's really a nanobot delivery system! We're all doomed! #nanotechnology
This seems like one of the few times in the history that we've known about the health consequences of a new technology before it became widely implemented.
Hopefully this will lead to some new development that gives us the benefit of carbon nanotubes without the health and environmental risks. #nanotechnology
@Anekanta: Thankfully it's such a specific and small thing that the kind of exposure that leads to mesothelioma in this instance would be pretty rare.
Of course that would not be the case if they started making insulation out of carbon nanotubes, so let's hope they go another route in future insulation tech. #nanotechnology
@Makidian: Carbon nanotubes are not exactly specific, they're being tested for pretty much everything, it may sound unreal, but "from space elevators to synthetic muscles to sports equipment" is kind of an understatement, since those applications only use their mechanical properties, but they also have potential to revolutionize electronics, power storage, medicine, thermal insulation, optics, thermic dissipation, medicine... if all the research that's being done right now on them were fruitful, everything we use day to day, except for food could be made with them.
Yeah, I know, all the research is not going to have results, and not all the ones which do are not going to be cost-effective, but they have potential to be more ubiquitous than plastic. #nanotechnology
If any drug researcher wants to get the attention of Big Pharma they should add the phrase "Makes Your Dick Hard" somewhere in the drug they're working on list of side effects.
@acrobatic rabbit: No joke: Viagra failed miserably as a blood pressure medicine. They were going to cut the clinical trials short, when a funny thing happened: the old guys in the trial refused to return their pills. Then someone broke into one of the labs and ransacked the dispensary, taking the pills for the trial. That's when they knew something was up and started asking questions about ancillary effects.
I'd like to think that the researchers stopped at the Mercedes dealership on the way home that night.
Long answer: Follow the money. Old men have it. Old men get impotence and baldness. Insurance companies can say these are not covered medical conditions so they don't have to pay for treatment. Drug company makes list price on the drug, not what some insurance company negotiates.
So when the drug companies say that if healthcare reform involves cutting their profits, there will be fewer new drugs, they mean fewer everyhting except dick and hair medicines.
@Dr Emilio Lizardo: im aware of the economics of it. but viagra and cialus fixt everyone's dix. lets get better meds for heart conditions, cancer, the HIV now k thx
@GreyHammer: I think the economics go deeper than you appreciate. It's far easier to develop a me-too drug. Somebody else has layed the groundwork so you have a better idea where to start, what the side effects will be and how to design the trials to get it to market faster. It will be available on patent longer. Also, the market is huge. There are more men who want to perform better in bed than there are people with cancer.
I'm with you, but the drug companies are not. I have 20 drugs to treat breast cancer. I would love one that treated melanoma.
@Dr Emilio Lizardo: I hear ya, but old men get cancer and heart disease too. They surely would pay to live longer so they can enjoy the effects of newest boner cream with their 20 year old trophy wives, no?
@Dr Emilio Lizardo: They may not cover Viagra but they sure as shit cover penile implants. I would be pissed if I had ED and I couldn't get a little blue pill but instead get a pump implanted in my cock to pump it up when it was time to get down to business.
10/30/09
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-Kle. #nanotechnology
10/30/09
I've read of research into coating the nanotubes with other materials that neutralize the harmful effects though. Better to come up with good solutions before mass-production begins. #nanotechnology
10/31/09
-Kle. #nanotechnology
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I respectfully disagree.
10/29/09
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Hopefully this will lead to some new development that gives us the benefit of carbon nanotubes without the health and environmental risks. #nanotechnology
10/29/09
Of course that would not be the case if they started making insulation out of carbon nanotubes, so let's hope they go another route in future insulation tech. #nanotechnology
10/30/09
Yeah, I know, all the research is not going to have results, and not all the ones which do are not going to be cost-effective, but they have potential to be more ubiquitous than plastic. #nanotechnology
10/13/09
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10/12/09
"You finally discovered a topical cream to cure skin cancer?" - Scientist 2
"Probably not, but it makes my dick hard!!"
10/12/09
I'd like to think that the researchers stopped at the Mercedes dealership on the way home that night.
10/12/09
10/12/09
Long answer: Follow the money. Old men have it. Old men get impotence and baldness. Insurance companies can say these are not covered medical conditions so they don't have to pay for treatment. Drug company makes list price on the drug, not what some insurance company negotiates.
So when the drug companies say that if healthcare reform involves cutting their profits, there will be fewer new drugs, they mean fewer everyhting except dick and hair medicines.
10/12/09
10/12/09
10/12/09
I'm with you, but the drug companies are not. I have 20 drugs to treat breast cancer. I would love one that treated melanoma.
10/12/09
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10/12/09
"Science could have countered this problem, but was too busy solving the problems of hair loss and erectile dysfunction."
10/12/09